Heartbrake
by demigoddess0820
Summary: Santana is 31 and is working on picking up the pieces since her split with Brittany. She has 3 kids, her own business, and a limited social life. As luck would have it, she crosses paths with Demi Lovato. Will Demi be able to make Santana whole and help her love and trust again?
1. Chapter 1

The object in Jordy's pocket was about to burn a hole in it. For the millionth time, he put his hand in his pocket to check that it was still there. Amazingly, it was. There were only about 5 families in front of him in line now. It felt like it was taking an eternity to get to her. His stomach was in knots; his hands were clammy. He said a quick prayer that he wouldn't throw up and that he would remember what he had rehearsed for the last several weeks. Jordy looked over at his sisters, Sofia and Gabby. They were excited – jumping around with their posters in hand, but they weren't nearly as excited as he was. He was literally about to meet the love of his life. From the first time he laid eyes on her picture, he was enamored. He knew all of her songs by heart. He had brought 4 of his posters of her for her to sign. He had more but he wanted to play it cool.

They were nearing the front of the line. Jordy was so nervous. His heart was about to beat out of his chest. The concert had been incredible - seeing her on stage singing . . . but to be able to see her close up in person. . . "Breathe, Jordy, just breathe." he said to himself. He wished his mom was here with him. Morgan was a great nanny, but she was not his mom. He needed his mom to wrap her arms around him like she always did and tell him everything would work out as it was supposed to. She had such a calming effect on him when he would get worked up. Unfortunately, his mom had a work meeting in Chicago that had come up at the last minute and Aunt Quinn wasn't able to cover for her, so she had to go.

Just one more family ahead of them. He could hear her laugh. He could see her smile. God, was she beautiful. He started to feel weak in his knees. His posters didn't do justice to the sheer beauty of Demi Lovato. Finally they had made it to the front of line.

"Hi, guys! What are your names?" said Demi flashing a huge smile.

Jordy open his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He just stared at her. Sofia elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ouch, Sofiiiiia!" Jordy said grabbing his side.

Sofia edged herself in front of her brother. "My name is Sofia. I'm 6. This is my baby sister, Gabby. She's 4."

"I am NOT a baby!" said Gabby.

"Yes, you are. You are only 4!" said Sofia.

Demi laughed. "Well, I think you are a big girl, Gabby." Gabby smiled and stuck out her tongue out at her sister.

"And this . . ." Sofia said pointing to her brother. ". . . is my brother, Jordy. He has a crush on you. That's why he can't talk."

"SOFIA!" Jordy said. He turned a dark shade of red and pushed his sister.

Demi giggled and turned to Jordy and said, "You do, huh?" and then winked at him. "How old are you?"

"I . . . I . . . I'm 6. Sofia is my twin sister." said Jordy.

"Hmmmm . . . 6? That's a little young for me but you are adorable!" said Demi.

Jordy started to relax some and planted his feet with a little more confidence. "I'm handsome! That's what my mom says."

"Indeed you are! Is this your mom?" said Demi smiling.

"No, this is our nanny, Morgan" said Jordy.

"We brought our posters of you. Can you autograph them? Please, please, please?! Gabby and I each have 1 poster but Jordy brought 4." said Sofia.

"Absolutely! You guys are too cute!" Demi giggled.

"SOFIA!" Jordy said getting embarrassed again. He took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Can I hug you?"

"Uh, sure, just let me finish signing these posters first." Demi signed all 6 posters and handed them to Morgan. "Who all wants hugs and maybe a picture or two?"

"Me!" screamed Sofia and Gabby in unison.

"Okay come around the table."

Sofia and Gabby raced around the table and both gave Demi hugs. They were beaming. Jordy hung back and waited for the girls to finish before he approached Demi. Demi looked right into Jordy's eyes and opened her arms. He melted and ran into for the best hug of his life. She smelled so good. He could feel the warmth and genuineness of her hug. He felt so safe and loved that he wished he could stay there forever.

Demi ended the embrace. Jordy knew this was his chance. He took her hand and got down on one knee. A confused look crossed Demi's face. Jordy dug the object out of his pocket and started to talk.

"I know you have a boyfriend right now and that I'm not 18 yet, but in 12 years I will be. I bought this ring and necklace with the money I saved from my birthdays, Christmas, and doing chores around the house. I would like you to have it as a promise that I'm going to ask you on date when I turn 18. No one will ever love you like I do. I promise that I will be the best boyfriend that you could ever have."

Jordy handed the small, plain silver ring and necklace to Demi. Demi put her hand on Jordy's cheek and said, "Awwwww. That's so sweet, but I can't take this. You need to save it for someone special." Demi placed the necklace back in the center of Jordy's hand and closed his fingers around it.

"But you are special. You are very special to me" said Jordy. He felt the tears starting to well up in his eyes. He fought them back, but one escaped and ran down his cheek.

Demi felt herself tearing up as well. "Don't cry" she said in a husky whisper as she wiped away the tear. "Tell you what. You can loan me your necklace and ring until you turn 18. When you turn 18, you come and collect it from me. If I'm single, I will go out on a date with you. If I'm not, you take it back and give it to someone in your life that will appreciate it. Deal?"

"Deal!" said Jordy grinning ear to ear through his tears. He gave her another hug and then put the necklace over her head.

"Jordy and Demi sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G . . ." said Sofia giggling.

"SOFIA!" said Jordy annoyed.

Sofia grinned. "What? You know you want to!"

"Arrrrrrrgh!"

Demi smiled looking at the ring. "I guess I have some explaining to do to my boyfriend tonight."

"You tell him that he can take care of you for now, but I be grown up soon" said Jordy.

Demi laughed. "Ok – I will pass along that message. Now let's get some pictures as I have a few more fans behind you that I need to greet."

Jordy, Sofia, Gabby, and Morgan headed back to the car. Jordy was walking on air. The love of his life was going to go on a date with him in 12 years. He knew she would be waiting for him! He couldn't wait to tell his mom.

"Morgan, can we call Mom?" Jordy said.

"Sure Jordy, but let's call her from the car."

Once everyone was in the car, Jordy screamed, "Call Mom." The handsfree dialing took over. Within seconds they could hear the phone ringing on the other end.

"Hello."

"Mom?" said Jordy

"Mommmmmyyyyy!" said Sofia and Gabby.

"Hey kiddos! How was the concert?" said Santana.

"It was great! Demi sang all of our favorite songs!" said Sofia.

"Let me speak to her, Sofia" said Jordy impatiently. "Mom, Mom – I asked Demi Lovato to go on a date with me when I turn 18! And, she said yes! Can you believe it?"

Santana chuckled. "She did, huh? That's great, buddy. Sounds like she is a good judge of character."

"She did not say 'Yes.' She said she would only go with you if she wasn't with someone" said Sofia.

"Shut up, Sofia. She said yes. She won't be with anyone because she will be with me."

"She has a boyfriend and she will probably get married and be a mom soon."

"Stop saying that" said Jordy who was starting to get upset.

"Sofia, stop teasing your brother. You know how much he loves Demi. Let him be happy about this" said Santana smiling. She definitely saw some Auntie Snix potential in Sofia.

Sofia stuck her tongue out at her brother. Jordy ignored her. He had a smile plastered on his face. "She said yes. She really said yes." he thought.

"Now all we have to do is find someone for you, Mom!"

"Riiiight, Jordy. I think I'm doing just fine being single right now. Listen, I've got to finish up some work for my meeting. Everyone do what Morgan says. I can't wait to see you tomorrow night. I miss and love all of you so much."

"We love you, too, Mommy! Bye!" they all said.

Santana hung up. She cringed at the thought of being in a relationship. Brittany had ruined any possibility of that ever happening. There was no way in hell that she going to let anyone else in. The eventual pain was not worth it. She was fine, just fine. She had everything she needed – her kids, her friends, her work, and her modest life outside work. That was more than enough to fulfill her. Santana felt a pain in the pit of her stomach as she thought this. She tried to ignore it. She was fine. Everything was fine. Maybe if she kept telling herself this she would truly believe it. A tear streamed down her face as she thought of Brittany and all that she had taken from her. "Get it together, Lopez." She muttered under her breath. "Get it together." She shook her head, wiped her eyes, and took a deep breath before nestling in with her laptop for what was most likely going to be a long evening.


	2. Chapter 2

Santana stirred her second vodka tonic replaying all that had happen during the day knowing where her thoughts would eventually take her. Her meeting had gone well with some prospective clients. The account would take some work but she thought they had a good chance at getting the project and possibly some follow on work. Her daydreaming was interrupted when the person sitting next to her on her flight back to LA tried to drum up a conversation. Santana quickly put on her headphones, completely ignoring her neighbor. She was not in the mood for idle chit-chat. It had been a long 24 hours and the last thing she wanted was to engage in some stupid conversation that would end with some random guy trying to get her number. Ugh, men! She smirked as she thought to herself, "Women are no better."

Santana started reminiscing on her life and how she had gotten to where she was today.

She and Quinn both were offered jobs in the LA office of the same consulting company after college. They had moved out together to start their new chapters in life. Although they learned a lot, working for that company had been brutal with tons of travel, late nights, and all-nighters. They played hard, too, at the expense of getting sleep.

During their first year working at the firm, Rachel was offered a starring role in a TV show in LA and jumped at the opportunity. There had always been some weird, unexplained chemistry between Berry and Quinn so it was not too surprising that they started dating not long after Rachel moved out. Brittany ended up catching "LA fever" as well when M.I.T. started to bore her. She got a job as a barista at Starbucks because she was over having to think. Being in the same city once again, it was easy for her and Santana to fall back into a relationship. The four amigas had fun together when they were able to see each other. Life was good relatively speaking. Santana was head over heels in love and so was Quinn. They ended up having a double wedding. The whole Glee club gang came out to celebrate. That night was probably one of the best nights of Santana's life. She was even able to limit her sarcasm and cynicism to a minimum and just enjoy basking in the glow of her new wife and all of their friends. Santana was on cloud nine that day.

The natural progression happened. A year later, Santana gave birth to twins and a month after that Quinn gave birth to a baby girl. Two years later Brittany gave birth to baby girl and shortly thereafter Rachel gave birth to a baby boy. The four amigas couldn't have timed things better. They were godparents to each other's kids. Playdates were so easy because the kids were similar ages and all of them seemed to get along together.

Shortly after Gabby was born, Santana's Aunt Anita died. She and Santana were close and she had no kids of her own, so Aunt Anita left the majority of her estate to Santana. Quinn and Santana both were tired of funding Partners and kissing ass in their current companies. They were constantly discussing plans to break out on their own. With the money from the inheritance and Quinn and Rachel's savings, Santana and Quinn started Lopez Fabray Consulting, LLC. They were able to convince several of their friends and co-workers to join as well. The two of them poured blood, sweat, and tears into the company to get it off the ground. After a rocky first year, they finally got some traction and started showing a small profit. By their third year, they were getting a lot of recognition as an up and coming company to watch which helped bring more and more project work in. The company had grown to over 100 people.

All should have been great – the perfect wife, the perfect family, the perfect job – but things came crashing down - hard. Brittany suffered post-partum depression after the birth of Gabby which was not diagnosed until she had completely spiraled out of control. Santana was not home enough to really notice and what little time she had, she tried to spend with her kids. Brittany and her had occasional "adult" time but most of the time Brittany was sad, angry, or just too tired. Their sex life suffered which only drove Santana to work more. She had to get a release somewhere. With Santana around even less, Brittany turned to self-medicating which led to even harder substances. Under normal circumstances, Santana would have noticed but she just wasn't present enough to really to recognize the change in Brittany. To Santana, Brittany was just exhausted from trying to raise 3 kids which was completely understandable. She just figured that things would get back to normal when the kids got a little older.

It all came to a head one night when Santana was out of town for work. She got a call that evening from an officer. Brittany had been arrested in a sketchy part of town for buying drugs from an undercover cop. To makes matters worse, she had left the kids in the car while she was in the alley trying to make a deal so she was also charged with 3 counts of endangerment of a minor. She was arrested on the spot and CPS was called in to take the kids. Thankfully, CPS released the kids to Quinn and Rachel due to legal documents that were drawn up between Santana, Brittany, Quinn and Rachel that allowed them to be caretakers for each other's children in case of an emergency. Never did Santana think she would be dealing with this kind of an emergency. The kids were pretty traumatized but Aunt Quinn got to them quickly and brought them to her house.

Santana was devastated. She was so worried about her kids and Brittany and felt powerless as she wasn't where she could get to them quickly. She couldn't get a flight back until the next morning. She was exhausted as she had gotten zero sleep and had been thinking about all of the scenarios that could have happen. As soon as she got in, she headed to Quinn and Rachel's to check on the kids and wrap them in her arms. They were crying and not understanding all that had happened. When they settled down, Santana headed to the station to check on Brittany.

It was there that she was dealt the final blow. Brittany had been cheating with her with a guy and not just any guy, but one that was a drug dealer. She cut a plea bargain with the prosecutor to reduce her sentence by giving information about him and his contacts but that also meant exposing her transgressions. Santana's whole world crumbled around her. How in the fuck had this happened? God forbid she be happy for any extended time. Karma is a bitch. All shit she had done and said to people in her lifetime was finally catching up with her.

Brittany ended up serving time in a minimum security prison. Santana had tried to visit but after the first time, it was just too much. Brittany had changed. She had put their kids in danger. She had cheated on her. That trust was broken and it didn't matter that Brittany was sick. Sure, Santana still loved her, but the thought of Brittany and that guy made Santana want to puke. And, if that guy had laid a finger on their kids, Santana would have been the one in jail. It was all too much to process. Her true love had shredded her heart so deeply that Santana packed away those pieces so deep that no one would ever find them again.

The only silver lining in all of this was that they let Quinn and Rachel foster the kids while Santana dealt with the CPS red tape and the mess of the situation. Unfortunately, CPS wouldn't give the kids back to Santana outright. They wanted to assess whether or not Santana was a good mother. Santana jumped through all the required hoops. Several lawyers and thousands of dollars later, she got her kids back. Santana was awarded "temporary" full custody with the understanding that when Brittany was released from jail and could show that she was clean and sober and was employed for 6 months, she could petition the state for joint custody. That scared the crap out of Santana. Gabby was too young to really remember that night, but the twins remembered. They would ask questions and Santana would try her best to divert the conversation to another topic. She couldn't, however, avoid the question "Where is Mommy?" to which Santana typically answered that she had gone on a long trip. Eventually the questions subsided. Santana had hired 2 nannies who were students at UCLA to help with the kids in the mornings and the evenings. The kids loved them and soon their memories of that day were replaced with more happy ones. Santana was scared shitless that Brittany would come back into their lives and ruin that.

A tear rolled down Santana's check as she waved her empty vodka tonic glass at the stewardess. Two more vodka tonics later, she de-boarded the plane and caught a taxi home. She fucking hated travelling.


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn had always been a good friend to Santana. The whole Brittany fiasco had almost broken Santana. There were countless nights of drinking and crying with Quinn as she tried to piece her life together starting with re-gaining custody of her kids. One she was able to get her kids back, Santana slowly started to come out of the funk, and became the bitch the Quinn had known and loved most of her life. To push her recovery forward more quickly, Quinn and Rachel had devised a plan. They pitched an idea for a charity show sponsored by Lopez Fabray Consulting along with another local L.A. company. Santana was resistant at first, but when Quinn said they could raise money for Make A Wish foundation, Santana caved. She always had a soft spot for kids in need.

All of their Glee Club friends came and performed for the event. By the end of it, the old Santana had emerged in full force. She had a blast, and it was just what the doctor ordered. Thus, this marked the beginning of an annual event. This year's theme had been set - "So Last Century." All songs had to be from the 90's or earlier. A few people at work had taken over the planning of it and the details were coming together nicely. Once again several of their Glee friends would be coming in town to be in the show that was a little over 4 months away. Most of the acts had been lined up, silent auction items were coming in, and costumes were being worked on. It was like a fine oiled machine.

One other outlet Quinn introduced Santana to was an underground Smashball league. Smashball was like Dodgeball on steroids. It's played on a court that is completely enclosed by plexiglass in between the size of a racquetball court and a basketball court. The rules were the same as Dodgeball except you could use the walls or ceilings for either propelling yourself or a teammate or for throwing your ball against to try to get the other team out. It was a fast paced game that required lightening reflexes since balls could come at you from at any angle. With Santana's athletic ability as a cheerleader and gymnast and her desire to win she quickly came up the ranks in the league. Her team was almost always 1st or 2nd place.

Santana trained most evenings after the kids went to bed. She mainly went to Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline place, where she could learn new and perfect old moves that would catch her opponents off guard. She always played in the pick up dodgeball games and rarely would she get out because she was able to contort her body in the air or do the splits when she landed to avoid being hit. She used the walls to do a variety of flips that would allow her to rocket launch a ball much to the dismay of her opponents. There was no one that she couldn't get out.

"Morgan, I'm headed out to Sky Zone. I'll be back later." said Santana.

"Ok. Have fun."

Santana arrived at Sky Zone, warmed up, and then started playing dodgeball.

Demi arrived at her trainer's gym. She was exhausted from the day and the last thing she wanted to do was to work out and lift weights but she knew she needed to get in shape for her upcoming tour.

"Hey Brandon."

"Hey Demi. Ready to go?"

"Uh – I'm kinda dragging today."

"No worries. I'm switching it up."

"Ok – what are we going to do?"

"I'm taking you some place for a different kind of workout. C'mon, I'm driving."

"Uh – ok – are you going to give me a hint, here?"

"Nope – it's a surprise. Trust me, you'll like it."

Brandon drove Demi over to Sky Zone. They had chatted some along the way, but mainly Demi to distracted trying to pay attention to where they were going as her curiosity was peaked.

"We're here!" said Brandon.

Demi looked up and saw the big Sky Zone sign. "Cool! I have heard of this place and have been wanting to check it out."

"I think you are going to like it. It will work a variety of muscles and iff you do it right, you'll be pretty sore in the morning." Brandon said grinning.

Brandon and Demi walked in. Demi surveyed the place. There were lots of people jumping around and jumping off into foam pits. Something caught Demi's eye. Someone was doing flips off a wall and throwing a ball at the same time.

"Hey – what's going on over there?" said Demi pointing to the dodgeball court.

"Well – that's where we are going. It's pick up dodgeball."

"Dodgeball? Awesome! I haven't played that since grade school, but I did kick ass at it!"

As they walked closer to the court, Demi became mesmerized with the woman she had seen earlier. She had cat like reflexes and was using the entire court for her advantage – not to mention she was striking with her light brown skin, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, arched eyebrows, and piercing eyes. Her clothes hugged every curve of her body. She probably had an eight-pack under her shirt.

"Check her out. She's is incredible."

Brandon focused on the woman Demi was talking about. "Oh, that's Santana Lopez. She's a regular here. We used to train together back in the day. She kicks all the guys' asses. Her signature move after getting some out is pretty funny to watch especially the ones who aren't expecting it."

"Well – she is pretty amazing. I have never seen anyone do moves like that!"

"Ok, Demi. Looks like a new game is about to start. Off you go. Try to use the form we have been working on in order to maximize your workout."

Demi held her own for a while but eventually was taken out by none other than Santana. Santana winked, blew her a kiss, and waved bye-bye. Demi found herself getting irritated with Santana's send off and her competitive nature kicked into high gear. She was able to get back in the game later and was hell bent on getting Santana out, but no matter what she tried, Santana was able to avoid her throws and come right back and get her out. Demi was not a fan of losing. She was bound and determined to get Santana out if it was the last thing she did!

Santana took notice of Demi. There was an odd familiarity about her but she couldn't put her finger on where she had seen her before. She had a pretty good arm. Her aim needed work but there was massive potential there. "This one is a little firecracker – a very hot one albeit." She thought to herself. "No matter, she will go down in flames like the rest of them. Bring it on, Ewok. Momma is gonna show you why you need to stay on the porch."

It took her 4 games but Demi was finally able to graze the tip of Santana's shoe.

Santana arched her eyebrow and smirked as she walked off the court. "Lucky throw, Ewok."

"What did she just call me?" Demi said to herself proud that she had gotten Santana out.

Brandon walked up to Santana. "San!"

"Brandon! Haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up to?"

"Not much. I'm here with a client." Right at that moment, Demi walked over. "San – this is Demi Lovato. Demi this is Santana Lopez."

Santana looked at Demi and started chuckling. "I think we already got acquainted on the court."

Demi smiled. "Yeah, I finally got you out. Took long enough! So, I think you may have called me an Ewok back there. What's up with that?"

Santana smirked, "Uh, Yeah . . . I'm not a fan of getting out. Sorry about that." Santana thought to herself, "Holy fuck. Demi Lovato – this girl is the love of her son's life. That's how I know her or at least how I have seen her. Oh boy, Jordy is going to go crazy when I tell him who I met." Santana could see why Jordy was in love with her. Demi was just in a band T-shirt with yoga pants and her hair pulled back in a ponytail, but she was striking. No, she was gorgeous. "Settle down, Santana. She is straight. Ain't nothing gonna happen there."

"So, let's start over. Hi, I'm Santana, the one who kicked your ass out there." Santana put her hand out winking at Demi.

Demi started laughing. Her laugh was infectious. Santana felt her knees buckle a little. "Hi, I'm the bitch that got your sorry ass out." said Demi grinning.

"Touché"

"Demi, I think that is enough of a workout for tonight. Do you want to head back to the gym?" asked Brandon.

"What about grabbing a coffee first?" Demi said.

"Sounds good."

Demi turned to Santana. "You wanna come?"

Santana looked at the time. "Uh, yeah, sure. Coffee sounds good. It's going to be a late night for me anyway so might as well start the caffeine drip."

"Great! I think there is an Urban Java joint right around the corner from here."

"Ok. I will meet you guys there." said Santana.

Santana arrived and went up to order. Brandon and Demi were already placing their orders. Santana's eyes drifted down to Demi's butt. "Nice . . ." she said under her breath.

"Did you say something?" Demi asked.

"Uh, yeah, I . . . I . . . I was saying I was going to get some 'ice' water." Santana said blushing.

Demi raised her brow and moved over to wait for her coffee. Santana internally kicked herself. "Shit! What the hell are you doing? You are a bumbling idiot around this girl. Chill the fuck out already."

Santana placed her order and joined Demi and Brandon. They all got their coffees and headed to a nearby booth. Demi and Brandon sat on one side and Santana sat on the other side.

"So, Brandon . . . How is Jeff?" asked Santana.

"Well, he is no longer. We broke up about 6 months ago. He started having some wondering eyes so I cut it off. I don't have time for that shit. I mean, look at me. How can anyone look elsewhere?" Brandon said grinning.

Santana and Demi both laughed. Santana felt a little moisture between her legs after hearing Demi's laugh. Once again she got on herself. "She is fucking straight and in a relationship. What the fuck, Santana? Pull it together. Shit is that boob sweat, too? This is so embarrassing."

The group spent the next hour talking about different topics, laughing and making fun of each other along the way. Finally, Brandon said, "Hey, I need to head out. Demi, are you ready to go so I can take you back to your car?"

"Uh, I can take her back to her car. Er . . . I mean, if you want to stay a little longer." said Santana a little too eagerly.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind grabbing a refill and staying a little while longer."

"Yep. I could use a little more caffeine myself before I get started on my work."

"Ok, girls – I'll bid adieu to you then. Demi, I'll see you next week. I leave you in Santana's capable hands." said Brandon winking at Santana as he got up to head out. Santana shot him a "fuck you" look. Then turned back and flashed a sweet smile at Demi.

"I'll go get our coffees" said Santana.

"Great! Thanks!"

When she got back, Santana steered the conversation to Demi's love life. "So, you have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah. I've been dating Wilmer Valderrama off and on for the last 4 years or so. I suppose we will eventually get married. I mean, we have talked about it but I'm just not ready yet."

Santana felt a little jealousy hearing this. "So, my son tells me he is going to take you out on a date when he turns 18."

Demi laughed. "Oh yeah? How old is he now?"

"6. He met you not too long ago at your concert here in town. He gave you a ring on a necklace which I believe you kept with the arrangement that when he turned 18 that he could take you on date if you were single. At least, that's what he told me."

Demi almost spit out her coffee. "That was your son? OMG – he was so cute. I just couldn't tell him no. What was his name? George? Greg? . . ."

"Jordy"

"Jordy – that's right. Awwww. I told Wilmer about him that night and put him on notice that he better treat me right or I would be going out with Jordy." said Demi giggling.

"Yeah, he is pretty smitten with you. In fact, his entire room is dedicated to you. I'm fairly certain he has every picture of you ever taken and definitely he knows all of your songs by heart."

"Awwwww – that's adorable! He's a good kid – his sisters, too. So, what about you? What's your story? Married?"

"Well, I was . . . sorta. My high school sweetheart came out here and we basically started up where we left off. We had a double ceremony with my best friend and her partner then we started having kids not too long afterwards. I had the twins and she had our youngest."

"She?" Demi said as she raised her eyebrow. "How in the hell is Santana gay? Wow, totally didn't get that vibe." thought Demi.

"Yeah, Brittany."

"So, you're not together anymore?"

"Uh no. It's kind of a long story. Let's just say she did some things, bad things, to break the trust of the relationship."

"Awww – I'm sorry. That sucks. I have definitely had my share of bad relationships."

"Yeah, it's ok though. I have moved on. I have plenty of other things in my life to focus on." Santana faked a smile experiencing that familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach as she said this.

"Well that's good. Just gotta pick up those pieces."

Demi and Santana chatted for a while longer. As much as she didn't want to leave, Santana knew the stack of work waiting for her when she got home. "Listen, I probably need to get going so I have a chance of getting at least some sleep tonight."

"Sure – no problem. I have some things to work on myself."

Santana drove Demi back to her car. "Well, thanks for letting me tag along with you and Brandon tonight."

"Absolutely. I had fun – not the part where you kicked my ass in dodgeball, but the coffee was great." said Demi laughing.

Santana laughed. "Me too. Say, would you wanna hang out again sometime?"

"Sure! Maybe you can give me some dodgeball pointers."

"Now, I'm not sure I can give away my secrets. I want to make sure that I can still kick your ass." said Santana winking.

"Fine, maybe coffee then." Said Demi giggling. She grabbed Santana's phone and typed in her number and then handed it back. "Text me so I have yours."

"Ok. I'll talk to you later. Bye"

"Bye"

Santana watched to be sure that Demi got to her car safely then headed home. She felt surprisingly happy. It had been a long time since she felt this feeling. In fact, it was how she used to feel when she saw Brittany. Santana thoughts drifted off to Brittany and immediately her mood soured. They weren't even together and it had been well over a year. Why did Brittany still have this hold over her? Santana contemplated this as she drove home.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next few months, Santana and Demi spent a fair amount of time together at least as much as their busy schedules would allow. They were enjoying getting to know each other. Whether it was working out, catching a movie, grabbing coffee or a meal, their friendship just seemed to click. Santana really enjoyed having someone to hang with. Demi got her sarcasm and was her equal in throwing it back out while mixing in some of her own goofiness. At the end of the day, Santana just didn't have that many close friends in town – at least ones that she would want to make an effort for. Obviously she was close to Quinn and Rachel but they were just as busy as she was right now and their schedules almost never lined up. So, it was nice to spend time with Demi. Demi made her laugh and that's something she just really needed to do.

It was a typical Saturday. Santana was sipping her morning coffee and reading the news on her ipad while the kids were piled in front of the TV watching cartoons. She heard a knock at the door and got up to see who it was.

"Hey, Santana!"

"Quinn! Hey – what's up with you?" said Santana as she opened the door and motioned for Quinn to come in.

"Well, I hadn't seen you and the kids for a few weeks, so I figured I would drop by before I headed to run some errands."

"Aunt Quinn!" the kids said in unison as they ran up to give Quinn hugs.

"Hey guys! I've missed you!"

"We have missed you, too!" they said before cartoons captured their attention again.

"Work has been crazy for me. Sorry we haven't come by for visit." said Santana smiling as she watched the kids plop back down in front of the TV.

"Me, too. Hard to believe that we are at the same company but barely see each other. What else have you been up to besides work?"

"Well, I've been spending a fair amount of time hanging with Demi."

"That's cool. I still want to meet her sometime soon."

Jordy's ears perked up and he whined, "Mom – when can we do something with her? It's not fair! You know how much l love her. When can we see her?"

"Jordy, I promise we'll do something as a family with her soon. Let Aunt Quinn and talk, ok?"

Jordy pouted and returned his gaze to the TV.

Santana and Quinn walked into the kitchen. Santana got a refill on her coffee and poured a cup for Quinn.

"I really want you to meet her, too, Quinn. She's great and is obviously a hottie. So down to earth, has good perspective on things and she's pretty athletic – clumsy at times, but athletic nonetheless." said Santana laughing.

"I have heard that. So, it's true?" said Quinn laughing.

"Totally. I mean, we can be just walking to go workout or to a restaurant or something and then all of a sudden I look over and she is on the ground. I mean – it's not funny, but it kind of is." said Santana smirking.

Quinn laughed. "I think I would be concerned at first but then it would be comical as it became routine. Wait - did you say 'hottie'?" said Quinn almost spitting out her coffee. "San, do you have feelings for her? You know she is straight, right? I heard that she's practically engaged to Wilmer."

"Me? Feelings for her? I . . . er . . . no . . . absolutely not! I mean she is super hot when she laughs and her being athletic is a definite turn on, and her smile and eyes are . . ." Santana drifted off daydreaming. "Uh . . . Uh . . . but I 100% know that she is straight and unavailable." said Santana somewhat nervously as she snapped back into reality.

"Oh . . . My . . . God! You like her! San . . . you are playing with fire here. Don't do it. You are only going to get your heart broken."

"I . . . I have no idea what you are talking about Quinn." said Santana less than convincingly.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you. Yes, I want you to get over Brittany – but with someone who is available AND gay. This is not going to end well and you know it."

"Look, Quinn. We are friends. Friends! That's it. Nothing else."

"Right. Whatever." Quinn said as she crossed her arms while rolling her eyes.

"Uh . . . So, we need to figure out when we can practice for the charity show." said Santana changing the topic. "I think Mercedes, Curt, Blaine, and Mike will be in town in 2 weeks. We need to get some time scheduled with them so we can nail down the choreography and practice our songs. The charity show is right around the corner. I mean Skype is great and all, but it's going to be much easier to practice in person."

Quinn frowned knowing full well that Santana changed the topic on purpose. She decided to give Santana a pass for now. "Let me talk to Rachel and figure out her schedule. I can send a text out to everyone to see what works. So, what are you guys up to today?"

"Morgan is taking the kids over to a play date – speaking of which, we need to get our kids together soon and do dinner or something. Anyway, I'm going to lunch with Demi. She wants to run some ideas by me about what she should do for Wilmer's birthday."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Promise me that you will be careful."

Santana smirked at Quinn. "Friends . . . we are just friends."

"Yeah, click your heels 3 times when you say it and maybe it will come true." said Quinn sarcastically. "Listen, I need to head out to run my errands so I can get back to my cute wife and kids sometime this century."

"Ok. Thanks for stopping by, Quinny. It was good to see you. I miss you." Santana said as she hugged Quinn and walked her to the door.

"I miss you, too, San. Thanks for the coffee. Talk to you soon. Maybe I will even see you at work one of these days. Bye."

"Bye"

Later that day at lunch . . .

"So, what are you planning Wilmer's birthday?" said Santana

"Well, I was thinking about having a big surprise party for him, but now I'm having second thoughts." said Demi.

"Why is that?"

"Well, I was thinking something a little more intimate might be better. I mean we both have crazy schedules so it would be nice be able to spend some one-on-one time together."

Santana felt a pang of jealousy as her thoughts drifted to Wilmer and Demi being intimate.

"Hello? Earth to Santana. Come in. You there?" said Demi waving her hand in front of Santana's face.

"Uh . . . oh, sorry. Not enough caffeine yet. Um . . . why not do both? Maybe you could do the one-on-one time on a different day." said Santana hoping Demi wouldn't ask details as where she just went in her head.

"Hmmmm – that's not a bad idea. Maybe I will do the surprise for just the two of us the weekend before his birthday so he is totally not expecting it." said Demi grinning.

"That sounds like a good idea. So, do you have something planned out?"

"Sorta – in my head, at least. I'll probably head over to his condo while he is not there and get everything ready – dinner, dessert, and me." said Demi laughing.

Santana melted. She knew she was crushing hard over Demi but was trying everything in her power to fight those feelings and just appreciate her new friendship. "Well, that sounds nice. I'm sure he will love it. I mean, how could he not? So, when is his birthday?"

"In two weeks. So that means next weekend is Operation One-on-one Surprise. I've got to go shopping for the perfect thing to wear. Now, what goes good with hardwood floors?" said Demi winking.

Santana rolled her eyes and groaned, "Keep it in your pants, Lovato."


	5. Chapter 5

The week had flown by. Demi finally had everything together for her evening with Wilmer. She was wearing some sexy lingerie she had bought at Victoria Secret's that was going to make his head spin, had picked up a 4 course meal from his favorite restaurant, and had found a few other items to set the mood. She gathered everything up and headed over to Wilmer's condo. She had talked to him earlier in the day and had confirmed when he was leaving for work to do some re-takes on some of his scenes for his new TV show.

Demi parked and took the elevator up to Wilmer's condo. She balanced all the bags as she put her key in the door and opened it. Demi went directly to the kitchen, turned on the warming drawer, and put the food in it. She took her other bags and headed to the bedroom so she could get everything setup before Wilmer got home. As she got closer to the bedroom, she heard noises. Her heart started racing as she went through various scenarios in her head – Radio, TV, burglars, etc. "Crap" she thought. "What if it is burglars?" She got out her phone, typed 9-1-1, and put her finger over the send button as she crept closer to the door.

Demi's mouth dropped open as she looked into the bedroom. "What the fuck, Wilmer? What the fuck is going on here? Who the hell is she?" Wilmer scrambled off a girl who was trying to pull covers over her naked body. Demi turned and ran out of the room.

"Shit. Demi, it's not what you think." said Wilmer as he grabbed some clothes and ran after Demi. "Wait. Hold on. Let me talk to you." he said as he caught up to her and grabbed her arm.

"It's not what I think? Really, Wilmer, really? Your dick was inside another girl." Demi felt hot tears streaming down her face. "Let go of me." said Demi as she ripped her arm out of his grip.

"Wait. Let me explain."

"There is no explanation needed. We are over. Finished. Done. D-O-N-E. Have a nice life." Demi grabbed her purse and turned towards the door.

Wilmer stood there, his eyes tearing up. "Please, Demi. Please don't go. I love you. It was a mistake. It will never happen again. I'm sorry."

"Fuck you, Wilmer." Demi said as she slammed the door and ran for the elevator. She pushed the button frantically hoping that it would come faster and praying that Wilmer would not try to follow her. After what seemed like forever, the elevator finally doors opened. She stepped inside and hit the button for the ground floor. Her tears were free flowing now. Waves of emotions ran through her as she tried to grasp the reality of the situation. _"What the hell just happened? How could he do that? Sure, we have had our issues, but I thought after our last breakup we had worked through everything." _Demi curled her hand into a fist and punched the elevator wall right before the doors open. She ran out of the building, got in her car, and rested her head on her steering wheel as she sobbed uncontrollably. After a few minutes, she looked in the mirror knowing it was not going to be pretty. "I look like a fucking raccoon." Demi dug for a tissue in her purse to try fix the black goop around her eyes and cheeks.

After gaining a little composure, she took her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Santana's name. She quickly hit the send button and said a silent prayer that Santana would answer.


	6. Chapter 6

Earlier that evening . . .

Santana and the kids were finishing up dinner. The kids were excited because Santana had promised them a "make your own sundae" night prior to practicing for their song for the charity event. Santana had even made some chocolate chip cookies. The chocolately goodness scent from the fresh baked cookies drifted throu gh the air.

"Okay kiddos, line up and let's get this party started." The kids scrambled to form a line each one vying to be first. "Easy there. No one needs to get hurt over a sundae."

"I was first." said Gabby.

"You were not." said Sofia.

"Was to." said Gabby.

"Stop. No one is going to get anything if you guys continue to fight. Now, Sofia, let your little sister go first."

"But, Mom." said Sofia pouting and crossing her arms.

"No buts."

Sofia was not happy, but did as her mother told her and let her little sister go first. Santana helped each one of them create their ultimate sundae overflowing with a variety of toppings. The fighting from earlier subsided as everyone started to dig into their creations.

Santana heard her phone start ringing and grabbed it from the counter. Demi's picture flashed across her phone. Santana picked it up and answered.

"Hey you. What's up? Wait – aren't you supposed to be at Wilmer's right now?"

"I . . . I . . . he . . ." Demi felt the tears start flowing again.

"Demi, what's wrong? What happened? Are you ok?"

"No . . . he . . . he . . . cheated . . ." Demi stammered as she began to cry uncontrollably.

Santana walked out of the kitchen and into her office. "He WHAT? That asshole! I'm gonna kick his ass. Give me his address and I swear I will go over and beat the living crap out of him." said Santana fuming.

"No . . . Santana . . ." said Demi still crying.

"Look. You are coming to my house – right now. Can you drive? Do you need me to come get you?"

"Uh . . . Ok . . . I can drive." said Demi whose tears had slowed down somewhat.

"I'm texting you my address right now. We have all the fixings for sundaes and I baked chocolate chip cookies as well. Also, I think I have just the thing to get your mind off that piece of shit."

"I'm really not that hungry."

"We'll see about that. Just wait until you see the spread. There is no way that you will be able to resist my cookies. They are still warm. Just come on over but drive safely. If you need me to come get you, just say the word."

"No . . . thanks, Santana. I can drive. I'll be over soon. And, San?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks" whispered Demi.

"You're welcome. Now get your ass over here so we can get you cheered up!"

"Ok. Bye, Santana."

"Bye."

Demi's mouth curled ever so slightly on one side. Relief washed over here knowing that Santana was home and that she didn't have to head back to her condo right away. She just didn't want to be alone right now.

Santana returned to the kitchen where the kids were finishing their sundaes.

"Listen, kiddos. Demi Lovato will be here shortly."

"What? Really? She is coming here? To our house?" said Jordy excitedly running around the kitchen. He hugged each of his sisters picking them off the ground as he could not contain his excitement.

"Yes, Jordy." The girls were jumping up and down hugging each other but were not nearly as excited as Jordy. "Listen, I need you guys to do me a favor." Jordy's eyes became slits. "Don't give me that look, Jordy. This is serious. Demi is really sad right now, so we are going to try to cheer her up. Ok?"

"Why is she sad?" asked Sofia.

"That's not important. I just want us to try to make her happy when she gets here. Can you guys help me with this?"

"Yes" said the kids in unison.

"Great. So first thing, you can't jump all over her and scream when she gets here. Please be polite and respectful. Second, I was thinking that we could put a little show on for her. We were already going to practice our song tonight. What about each of you do some kind of an act before we do our song?"

"I know. I'll do some dancing for her." said Jordy.

"I can sing 'Let it Go'" said Sofia.

"I wanna sing 'Let it Go'" said Gabby.

"I said it first so I get to do it." said Sofia.

"Guys, no fighting. Why don't you both sing together?"

"Ok, then may be Gabby and I can do some magic tricks, too." said Sofia.

Santana smiled. "That sounds perfect."

"Mom, can we wear our outfits for our song? Please? Pretty please?"

Santana chuckled. "Well, if you are careful with them, then it's a yes."

"We'll be careful. I promise." said Sofia.

"Ok. Let's go get setup in the entertainment room."

Santana's kids had always liked to perform and do spontaneous shows so Santana had someone come in and build a stage in their entertainment room. It wasn't big, but it was big enough. The entertainment room was one of her favorite rooms in their house. It had comfy movie theater seating, great acoustics, and a drop down screen. She and the kids spent a lot of time there whether it was doing family performances or just watching a movie and eating popcorn. Lots of happy memories were made in this room which always brought a smile to Santana's face.

Santana and the kids were prepping everything for their impromptu show for Demi when they heard the doorbell. Morgan had been working on some homework in the dining room but got up and shouted. "Mrs. Lopez, I'll get it."

"No worries, Morgan. I'll get it. If you are at a stopping point, can you come watch the kids and help them get setup for the show?" Santana shouted back.

"Sure thing. Be right there." said Morgan.

"She's here! She's here! She's here!" said Jordy jumping up and down.

"Calm down, Jordy. Remember what I said, ok? You guys stay here and get ready. I'll be right back."

Jordy attempted to contain his excitement but it was so hard for him to do. He had been begging his mom since she had met Demi at Sky Zone to bring her to the house which Santana was avoiding until she could determine whether her friendship would stick. Santana didn't want to get his hopes up given his feelings for Demi and she didn't want to make Demi feel uncomfortable being around Jordy knowing how in love he was with her.

Santana walked over to the door and opened it. There standing before her was Demi. She could tell Demi had been crying by her bloodshot eyes and red nose but she managed to flash a smile at Santana. That smile made Santana melt as always. Santana was definitely smitten with Demi. There was no doubt, but tonight her friend needed her and she was determined to do whatever it took to make her feel better.

"Hey you. Come on in." Santana said softly as she grabbed Demi's hand and pulled her in for a hug.

Demi felt herself tearing up again. Santana rubbed Demi's back as she felt her shirt begin to get moist from the tears streaming down Demi's face. "Shhhhhh. It's ok. It's his loss. Please don't cry." She stayed in Santana's strong embrace for about a minute before finally pulling away wiping her eyes in the process.

"Thanks . . . San" Demi said almost whispering as she continued to wipe her eyes. "I bet I look like shit with mascara running all down my face."

"No, you look beautiful as always." said Santana smiling.

"Yeah, right. I'm not feeling very beautiful."

"Listen, Dem. I promise we are going to cheer you up tonight. First item on tonight's agenda: food. Come with me." Santana said as she led Demi to the kitchen.

Demi could smell the chocolate chip cookies when she first entered the house but the scent became stronger as she neared the kitchen. Her stomach began to grumble. Maybe she could have one cookie.

"Do you want to go directly to the good stuff? If not, I can whip up some dinner for you."

"A cookie sounds really good at the moment. They smell amazing."

"If you think they smell amazing, just wait until you taste one. Now, we also have a 'build your own sundae' station setup. Nothing goes better with a warm, ooey gooey, chocolate chip cookie than ice cream with all the toppings!" said Santana grinning doing her best impression of Vanna White as she waved her arm over the sundae station drawing attention to all of the fixings.

Demi cracked a small smile. "Well, if you put it that way, maybe I will have a small one."

"Excellent choice!" Santana handed Demi a bowl and the scoop. Demi proceeded to create her sundae, after which Santana took her over to a plate of cookies. Demi really wanted to eat the entire plate, but she resisted and put just a single cookie in the same bowl as her ice cream.

"Ok, second item on tonight's agenda: entertainment. Follow me."

Demi followed Santana into the entertainment room where she was greeted by Jordy, Sofia, and Gabby.

"Demi!" they all screamed running in a bee line to her. Before they got to Demi, Santana stepped in front of her and stared at them with a furrowed brow and a look that told them they better cool it or there would be hell to pay. Their demeanors instantly changed. One by one the kids politely went up to Demi saying it was nice to see her followed by a hug. Jordy's hug was definitely a little tighter and longer but Demi didn't mind. Seeing the kids was already making her feel better.

"And this is Morgan – she is one of our nannies." Morgan waved to Demi and she returned the wave. "So, Dem, take a seat where ever you want. The show is about to begin!" said Santana.

Demi picked out a chair near the stage and curled up in it with her dessert. Santana handed her a blanket so she could feel even cozier.

Santana got up on stage and headed to the microphone. "Thank you everyone for coming out tonight. It's really great to see all of you. We have an amazing show for you with some up and coming talent who I think you will all enjoy. Without further ado, our first act tonight will be Magician Sofia and her assistant Gabby."

Santana jumped down of the stage and sat in a chair next to Demi. Both she and Demi clapped as Sofia and Gabby came out of a makeshift curtain on the side of the stage. Sofia was wearing a black top hat and a long black cape, and Gabby was wearing a short pink cape.

"Thank you, thank you." said Sofia. "For our first trick, we will be making this quarter disappear and then reappear in someone's ear." Sofia showed the audience her shinny quarter. She closed it in her hand and waved it around while saying the magic words. It was very obvious that she just moved it to her other hand which made Demi grin. Sofia opened her hand that was originally holding the quarter and showed that it was empty. Demi gasped trying hard not to giggle. She took a bite of her cookie and waited for the show to continue. Demi turned to Santana and mouthed, "Yum" while pointing at her cookie. Santana nodded in return knowing full well how good those cookies were.

"Now, my assistant and I will attempt to find the quarter in someone's ear. Gabby, come check mine." said Sofia.

Gabby went over to Sofia and moved her hair out of the way while pulling Sofia's head down so she could get a better looking into her ear.

"Is it in that ear, Gabby?"

"Nope."

Gabby did the same thing to Sofia's other ear. "What about this ear?"

"Nope"

"Ok, let me check your ears." Sofia checked both of Gabby's ears but still no quarter.

"Well, it looks like it is in one of our audience member's ears. Demi, can you come up here?"

Demi put her bowl down and headed up to the stage. Gabby checked one of her ears and turned to Sofia and shook her head. "Ok, let's try the other ear."

Gabby checked the other ear and immediately started jumping up and down excitedly. "I think we have a winner." Sofia headed over to Demi's ear and looked in it. "Yes, I see it but it's waaaaay down in there." Placing the quarter in her hand where Demi could not see it, Sofia pretended to be digging it out of her ear. Sofia then gave one final yank and showed Demi the quarter. "Ta Da!"

"I thought there was something in there but I just couldn't get to it." Demi said laughing as Sofia and Gabby escorted her back to her chair.

"For our next trick . . ." Sofia and Gabby did a few more tricks along the same lines as the first. The audience was playfully in awe of the magic being performed.

Santana headed back up to the stage. "For our next act, this guy is here to show us his dance moves all the way from LA. Put your hands together for Jordy." Morgan scrolled down the iPad playlist and picked the song Jordy had selected earlier. The song came booming over the surround sound speakers that were hooked to the iPad. As soon as the music started, Jordy popped out from the curtain wearing a black and gray track suit, a few gold chains, white Nike high tops, sunglasses and a black trucker hat with a white star. He started krumping which elicited laughs and wolf whistles from the audience.

Demi leaned over to Santana. "He's really talented. In fact they are all talented."

"Thanks. Although, they are my kids so that's pretty much a given." Santana said as she winked at Demi.

Demi laughed and nodded to Santana in agreement.

Santana headed up to the stage once again. "For our next performance, we have a real special treat for you. Some of you may know this song. If you do, we encourage you to sing along. Hit it."

Morgan scrolled the song list once more and picked 'Let it go' sung by Demi Lovato. Sofia and Gabby each had a mic and sang the lyrics as only children do. They pulled Demi up on stage towards the end of the song to help them close it out. Demi obliged them while grinning ear to ear. After the song was over, Sofia said, "There will be a short intermission followed by the finale." She then whispered in the mic, "Morgan, can you help us with our outfits for the last act?" Morgan nodded and she and the girls disappeared behind the curtain.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed and provided constructive feedback. It's much appreciated. I wanted to respond to a few specific reviews that I received:**

**1) To the guest reviewer that thought the title may be misspelled. I assure you, it's not. The spelling is completely intentional. :-)****  
**

**2) To (Born To Be A Writer121) – Santana and Demi getting together is definitely the end game. I'm not sure how long or quickly it will take me to get there, but it will happen with some drama along the way. In regards to your comment about how I portrayed Brittany (a little much for your taste) – I understand that it's a little over the top, but again, there is a purpose for it because it will cause some tremendous angst for Santana in later chapters. Hang with me to see how this all unfolds. It's still coming together in my brain. But, again, thanks for the candid, yet constructive feedback. That's ultimately what I'm looking for.**

**-DG0820**

**On with the story . . .**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Demi and Santana chatted while the kids got changed for the finale. Demi went on and on about how great Santana's kids were. It seemed like she was in a little better mood which made Santana happy. Ultimately, Santana just wanted her to be able to forget the earlier events even if it was just for a little while.

Morgan appeared shortly thereafter and gave the thumbs up sign to Santana as she quickly headed back over to the iPad. Santana once again grabbed the mic. "And now, we have a special treat for you, put your hands together for the final act for tonight: Santana and the Kiddy Kids"

Demi and Morgan clapped and cheered. Morgan scrolled down and selected the Karaoke version of Ciara's "1, 2 Step."

Jordy jumped out on stage with his same outfit from his earlier dance number. He held the mic sideways doing hand gestures mimicking his rapper idols while he started off the song:

_Ladies and gentlemen (Ladies and gentlemen)_

_This is a Jazze Phizal (Jazze Phizal) productshizzle,_

_Missy (Missy) the princess is here (She's here) Ciara,_

Demi couldn't help but smile. Jordy had nailed it but had also been adorable in the process.

Santana and Gabby came front and center. Gabby was wearing a white tank top with a silver star in the middle of it along with a rainbow tutu. She had white knee high socks with rainbow sketchers and rainbow knitted over the elbow gloves with the fingers cut out. On top of her head, she had 2 small pig tails and in her hand she had a tambourine.

Santana grabbed the mic and started singing and dancing while moving her hips rather seductively to the beat of the music:

_This beat is automatic supersonic hypnotic funky fresh,_

_Work my body so melodic,_

_This beat flows right through my chest,_

_Everybody ma and pappi came to party,_

_Grab somebody, work your body, work your body,_

_Let me see you 1, 2 step_

When she hit the chorus, Santana, Jordy, and Gabby all started doing a coordinated "1, 2 Step" choreography that Michael Chang had created for them. They were perfectly in sync with the music and each other so much so that it caused Demi to jump up and start dancing attempting to mimic what they were doing. Morgan even joined in the fun.

Santana continued singing with Jordy and Gabby singing backup for the chorus.

_[Chorus]_

_Rock it, don't stop it  
Everybody get on the floor  
Wake the party up  
We about to get it on_

_Let me see ya, 1,2 step  
I love it when ya, 1,2 step  
Everybody, 1,2 step  
We about to get it on_

Santana got down off the stage not missing a beat and headed over to Demi. She grabbed one of her hands and started getting her groove on with Demi while she sang the next verse.

_This beat is outrageous so contagious make you crave it, Jazze made it,_

_So retarded, top charted,_

_Ever since the day I started,_

_Strut my stuff,_

_And yes I flaunt it,_

_Goodies make the boys jump on it,_

_No I can't control myself,_

_Now let me do my 1, 2 step_

When the chorus hit, Demi was able to dance the 1, 2 Step moves together with Santana.

_[Chorus]_

Santana slowly made her way back up to the stage during the next verse, leaving Demi to dance with Morgan.

_(We going to step it like this. Ooh wee)_

_It don't matter to me,_

_We can dance slow (Ladies and gentlemen),_

_Whichever way the beats drop,_

_Our bodies will go (I like this ah),_

_So swing it over here,_

_Mr. DJ (Hey, hey),_

_And we will, we will rock you up_

_It don't matter to me,_

_We can dance slow (Dance slow yeah),_

_Whichever way the beats drop,_

_Our bodies will go,_

_So swing it over here,_

_Mr. DJ (Ladies and gentlemen),_

_And we will, we will rock you, lets shake_

From off stage came Sofia looking like a mini Missy Elliot. She was wearing a white fitted button up shirt half tucked into short khaki shorts with rainbow suspenders. She had over the knee rainbow socks and white sketchers topped off by a rainbow beret that she was wearing sideways on her head. Upon seeing Sofia, Demi went wild. Sofia grabbed a mic and started rapping and dancing:

_I shake it like jello,_

_And make the boys say hello,_

_Cause they know I'm rockin' the beat (Rocking the beat),_

_I know you heard about a lot of great MC's,_

_But they ain't got nothing on me (nothing on me),_

_Because I'm [four] foot two,_

Sofia said that lyric and started beaming as she put one of her hands at the same level as the top of her head indicating her height. She was especially proud of herself since she was the one who had thought of changing Missy Elliot's line from "five foot two to four foot two." She was definitely closer four feet than five. Sofia continued on:

_I wanna dance with you,_

_And I'm sophisticated fun,_

_I eat fillet Mignon,_

_And I'm nice and young,_

_Best believe I'm number one (Whoa)_

All four of them did the 1, 2 step while singing the rest of the choruses together. Morgan and Demi danced from the audience while cheering them on.

_[Chorus: x2]_

Sofia closed out the number:

_This is for the hearing impaired,_

_A Jazze Pha production (ooh wee) (ooh wee)_

Demi erupted at the end of the song, cheering and screaming while pumping her fist. Morgan was clapping as well. Both gave Santana and the Kiddy Kids a standing ovation for what seemed like 5 minutes. The kids bowed and gave each other and their Mom high fives and hugs. Santana was happy with how their dry run went. She knew the kids were going to be a hit at the charity function.

The kids jumped down from the stage and ran over to Demi who was bending down with outstretched arms. They ended up doing a big group hug almost bowling Demi over in the process. Santana took in the scene and smiled to herself. Mission accomplished – Demi at least for the moment appeared to be happy.

"You guys were amazing! I can't believe how talented you are!" said Demi.

"Did you really think so?" said Sofia.

"Absolutely. You all are the real deal!"

"Alright, Alright. I hate to break up the party, kiddos, but it's bedtime." said Santana while turning to Morgan and asking, "Can you get them ready? I'll be in to kiss them goodnight shortly."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Lopez."

"Awwww, mom. Do we have to?" said Jordy.

"Yes, Jordy. Ok everyone, tell Demi goodnight."

Each of the kids gave hugs to Demi. "Night, Deeeeeemi!" they screamed in unison as they headed off with Morgan.

"Night, kiddos!" said Demi as she turned to Santana. "They are incredible, just incredible. And you – I didn't know you could sing! You're fantastic."

Santana started blushing after Demi's compliment. It meant a lot to hear that from her given that she sung for a living. "Yeah, the kids are pretty awesome."

"You are, too. So, is there anything you can't do?"

Santana felt her confidence coming back. "I don't think so but I'll let you know if something comes up." she said while winking at Demi.

"You do that." Demi said laughing as shoved Santana slightly. Santana felt a sudden heat between her legs. That laugh – it always had that effect on her.

Morgan came back in and let Santana know that the kids were in bed waiting on her to finish tucking them in. Santana turned to Demi. "I'll be right back."

"Okay – I'll wait here for you."

"Morgan, I know you have a big test tomorrow so go on and head home."

"Thanks, Mrs. Lopez. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good luck. Hope you ace it!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Lopez. Me, too! Bye, Demi. Good to see you."

"Nice to see you, too, Morgan." said Demi.

Santana headed into Gabby's room. They said prayers together, hugged, and kissed goodnight. Santana repeated the same routine in Sofia's room. When she got to Jordy's room, it was obvious he wasn't quite ready to hit the hay yet.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Jordy."

"Do you think we helped cheer up Demi?"

"Yeah, I think so." she said as she ruffled the top of his head.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Jordy."

"I love her and I don't want her to feel sad."

"I know, sweetheart. I love that about you. You have such a good heart. Listen, big guy, it's time for you to get some shut eye."

Santana said prayers, hugged, and kissed Jordy while grabbing his covers and pulling them up over his shoulders as she leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Sweet dreams."

"Night, Mama. I love you."

"I love you, too, buddy." Santana said as she pulled his door shut. She headed back down the hall to go hang with Demi for a little bit.

"Hey"

"Hey, San"

"You okay?"

"Yeah. It's been a long day." said Demi sighing.

"I know. I'm sorry about that."

"San?"

"Yeah, Demi."

"Thanks for tonight."

"You're welcome. I hope we cheered you up a little bit."

"You did. Listen, it's late. I really should head home."

"Hey, why don't you stay here tonight? You can have my bed and I can sleep on the couch. You shouldn't be alone."

"That's really nice of you, but you don't have to do that."

"I'm not going to take no for an answer. You're staying even if I have to hide your keys."

Demi smiled. "Ok, but how about we just share your bed or I can sleep on the couch. I would feel horrible kicking you out of your own bed."

"I'm ok sharing the bed if you are. I do have a king so it's not like we have to share a twin." said Santana grinning.

"I'm fine with that. Can I borrow something to wear?"

"Sure, no problem. Can I fix you dinner or anything else before we turn in?"

"No, I'm good. That chocolate chip cookie was so yummy! But, why am I not surprised? I mean you are superhuman, right?"

Santana chuckled. "Yep. Occasionally I trip on my cape though."

Santana and Demi headed back to Santana's room. Santana pulled out an oversized shirt and some pajama shorts for Demi.

"You can use the bathroom first. If you look in the cabinet next to the sink, there should be an unopened toothbrush in there."

"Ok, thanks." said Demi as she headed to the bathroom.

Santana changed in her room and waited for Demi to return.

"It's all yours." said Demi.

Santana finished getting ready for bed. When she got back into her bedroom, Demi was in bed looking exhausted.

"You ready for me to turn off the lights?" said Santana climbing into bed.

"Yeah, I'm beat."

Santana turned off her bedside lamp and got situated in bed.

"Night, Demi."

"Night, Santana."

Santana rolled over and closed her eyes and started drifting off to sleep.

A few minutes later, Demi said softly, "San? San, are you awake?"

"Yeah" said Santana groggily.

"Do you think I'm fat?"

"Huh? What? Why would you think that? Wait, it's this stemming from tonight?"

"Why would he do what he did if he wasn't attracted to me?"

"Demi, he obviously thinks with the wrong head. You are beautiful. Please don't ever doubt that. He is a fucking jerk. It's his loss. You can do so much better than that fuckhead. You deserve someone that treats you like a queen. I promise that person is out there just waiting for the chance to be with you."

A tear trickled down Demi's face. "Thanks, Santana. You are such a great friend and a great person. I'm really glad you are in my life."

Santana could tell that Demi was trying to hold back tears. "I'm glad you are in my life, too. Come over here." Santana put out her arm. Demi scooted over to Santana, laid her head on her chest and her arm across Santana's stomach. The soft and steady drumming of Santana's heartbeat was comforting. Santana wrapped her arms around Demi and gently wiped away her tears. She ran her fingers through Demi's hair as she said, "You are an amazing person, Demi Lovato. Don't ever think otherwise." Shortly thereafter, Santana and Demi both drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Demi spent the following week camped out at Santana's house. She had called her manager and her mom and let them both know what had happened telling them that she was going off the grid for a while. She asked her manager to re-schedule any upcoming tv and radio appearances. Wilmer was blowing up her phone with text messages and voicemails not to mention the press was trying to reach her as well since inevitably the news of Demi and Wilmer's breakup surfaced and everyone was trying to get the scoop. Demi ended up turning off her phone, happy for a little peace and quiet. The kids were going crazy that Demi was actually staying with them. Santana was trying to avoid a media frenzy at her house so she had them promise to not tell their friends or anyone else. She even sweetened the deal by agreeing to go to the frozen yogurt place even throwing in unlimited toppings if everyone was able to keep the secret. Rachel and Quinn took turns checking on Demi's condo and grabbing her clothes. Santana was careful to pick them up from Quinn only at work so that no one would follow Rachel or Quinn to her house.

Demi felt at home when Santana and the kids were with her; however, her mind seemed to wander back to that day whenever she had the house to herself. She was living in sweats, watching crime shows, and eating junk food; although on a positive note she was showering daily afraid she would gross out Santana too much if she didn't. Santana had been great - always there to lend a shoulder and be supportive, as well as checking in with her throughout the day. Santana was the one person that seemed to be able to get her out of whatever funk she was in. Demi was so appreciative to have her in life. Even though they hadn't known each other very long, they had become fast friends. Their friendship was akin to the closeness she felt with some of her friends that she had known since childhood.

* * *

Demi was curdled up on the couch watching TV when Santana got home. Santana came in, grabbed the remote, and turned towards the TV powering it off.

"Hey! What did you do that for?" said Demi.

"You and I need to talk." said Santana kneeling in front of Demi placing her hands on Demi's knees. Santana thoughts drifted to how perfect Demi's body felt in her hands even if it was just her knees. She felt her heart rate quicken as she tried to stay focus on the task at hand.

Demi started getting nervous that she had worn out her welcome. "About wh- what?"

"I need your help with something which is ultimately going to help you."

"Uh, sure, I think. What do you need me to do?"

"Come with me." said Santana pushing off Demi's knees while holding out her hand to her. Demi put her hand in Santana's as she got off the couch. Santana led Demi to her bedroom.

"What's this?" said Demi looking at what appeared to be leopard baby doll shirt and black biking shorts laying out on the bed.

"That's your uniform."

"Uniform? Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"Well, we are short for tonight's Smashball game, so you will be playing for my team, the She-tahs."

"Uh, I'm not ready to face the world, Santana. Can't you find someone else? I'm not even that good at dodgeball."

"First, yes, you are great a dodgeball because you have had an amazing teacher these last few months." said Santana smiling. "Now it's time to really put your skills to the test. Second, no one else is available. This will be fun. It gets you out of the house, it helps me out of a pinch, and you get to throw balls at people that you can pretend are Wilmer and really channel those emotions you are feeling. It's a win-win for everyone."

"Sounds like a wonderful time, that I would love to do under any other circumstance. I'm just not ready to face the world, the looks, the questions, etc."

"Aaaaah, here in lies the beauty of this evening. No one, and I mean, no one is going to recognize you after I get done with your make up. Trust me." said Santana grinning. "Now get dress and then sit your ass down in this chair and I will do the rest."

"But, San . . ."

"No buts, Demi. This is what is going to happen tonight. You are going to feel amazing at the end of this evening. In fact, I'm betting you will be ready to enter back into the real world."

Demi gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

True to her word, Santana made Demi totally unrecognizable. Her face was completely camouflaged in cheetah colored makeup. She had put tan, white, and black streaks in her hair, pulling it back with a black headband with little cheetah-like ears. Santana stepped back and looked at her work. Demi looked good . . . no, Demi looked hot. The outfit hugged all the right places and the makeup gave her that animal edge quality. Santana unconsciously licked her lips as she continued to stare at Demi.

"You look like you are about to eat me. Should I be nervous?"

Santana quickly came back to reality wiping moisture away in the corner of her mouth. "Huh? What? No . . . I . . . I . . . well, shit. You look striking. It just caught me off guard."

"Oh, so I don't look striking, normally?" said Demi smirking.

"Wait . . . no . . . that's not what I meant. You know what I mean. You look striking all the time – just especially so tonight."

Demi was enjoying seeing Santana squirm. It was something she rarely got to witness. "So, I look striking lying around in my sweats?"

Santana started to recover from acting like a bumbling idiot. "Frankly, Ms Lovato, it's impossible for you to not looking striking."

Demi blushed. It was her turn to start squirming. She bent her head and angled her eyes at the floor. A few moments later, she felt a hand under her chin, pulling her head up. Her eyes met Santana's and locked in on them.

"Hey, where did you go there?" said Santana staring intently at Demi.

"Nowhere. It's just hard for me to accept compliments especially when I don't agree with them."

"Turn around and look in this mirror. You are drop dead gorgeous."

"Well, I do like this outfit and what you did hair and makeup wise to me."

"Ok, that's a start. We'll baby step on you seeing yourself as others do. But for now, I need to finish getting ready so we're not late."

"San?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks . . ." said Demi as she wrapped her arms around Santana's neck and gave her a long hug as she whispered, ". . . for everything" just loud enough that Santana could hear. Santana smiled. She could definitely get used to having Demi's arms around her.

"As good as this hug feels, you are going to ruin all my work. Now, sit here and I'll be back in a flash. We are sooooo going to kick some ass tonight." said Santana.

* * *

Santana pulled up to the underground Smashball location. She went around and opened the door for Demi holding out her hand to help her out of the car. "You ready?"

"As ready as I can be. Are you sure no one will recognize me?"

"Positive. We won't use your real name either. What do you want me to call you? Ideally, it's something close to Demi so I can talk my way out of an accidental slip up."

"What about Dani?"

"Dani, huh? Sounds like a lesbian name."

Demi laughed at that remark. "Is that a problem?"

"Definitely not." said Santana winking. "Dani it is, then!" Santana hooked her arm into Demi's as they headed to the entrance.

As Santana and Demi made their way to their assigned court, Santana reviewed the rules one last time. "Ok, so it's exactly like dodgeball with a slight twist. You can use any of the walls or ceiling when you throw the ball. Remember Newton's third law of motion when throwing balls against the wall or trying to catch or avoid ball coming from off a wall."

"Huh? Newton three, who? You know I was home-schooled, right? What are you talking about?"

"Physics."

"Physics? Really? You think I took physics?"

"Look, it's easy." Santana grabbed a ball and came back over to Demi. "The angle that I throw at the wall will be the same angle it comes off the wall. Stand right here and I will show you how I can throw the ball and make it hit you in the stomach." Santana positioned Demi about 10ft directly to her left, facing the wall that was about 10ft away. She skillfully took the ball and threw against the wall at the midpoint between her and Demi. The ball went right into Demi's hands. "See, equal and opposite angles."

"Huh?"

"The angle I throw the ball at the wall is the exact angle that it will leave it. Does that make sense?"

"I guess so, but my brain is on overload."

Santana chuckled. "Ok enough lessons for one day. We'll leave it as don't get out. Okay?"

"Aaaaah, I get that! 10-4!"

"Ok, come with me and I will introduce you to our other team members."

Santana and Demi walked over to the other She-tah players. "Dani, this is Edge and this is Reyna." Dani, Edge, and Reyna exchanged cordial hello's.

"So, all the players here are female?" said Demi worriedly looking around at some very large and tall members of some of the other teams.

"Yes. It may not look that way, but they are. Don't let them intimidate you. It's actually a disadvantage for them because you have bigger target to hit. What you need to worry about are the teeny tiny ones. They are the hardest to get out. They are almost always fast and you have very little to aim at."

"Oh. Okay, that makes sense, I guess. I just wouldn't want to get hit by some of those bigger players' balls."

"Then, don't let them hit you." said Santana winking.

"Yeah, okay. I'll go with that strategy, then." said Demi laughing.

"You're going to be fine if you are as good as Santana says you are." said Edge smiling.

"She is just as good if not better." said Santana as she put her arm around Demi's shoulder.

"We'll see about that." said Demi.

"Have a little faith in yourself. You are going to do great. Plus, you have the best team members in LA." said Santana high fiving Edge and Reyna.

Demi started to relax some. "So, how did you get your name, Edge?"

"Well, I'm a bit of a daredevil. I'm always on the edge of something jumping off whether it's sky diving, bungee jumping, cliff diving, etc. I live for that rush."

"That's so cool. I have always wanted to sky dive. I have actually bungee jumped before and loved it. Now, cliff diving, that's probably a little much."

"Don't knock it till you try it. Where did you bungee jump?"

"The Bridge to Nowhere."

"I know that place well. I'm a regular there."

"Hey ladies, I hate to break up the party, but it's time for us to take the court and warm up." said Santana opening the door to the court for everyone.

* * *

After the warm up, Santana pulled Demi aside. "Ok, remember, it's best two out of three games. You win by getting all of the other team's players out. If you catch someone's ball, that person is out and one of our players can come back in the game. For this first game, hang back for the first few minutes so you can see how this is played. Okay?"

"Okay. I'm getting a little nervous."

"Dem, er, Dani, you are going be fine. You've got this." said Santana squeezing Demi's shoulder giving her a look of confidence.

The She-tahs huddled up and did a short "Goooooo She-tahs" cheer before lining up on the court across from their opponent, the Lightning. Santana locked eyes with each of her team members and nodded. The ref blew the whistle and both teams raced for the two available balls. Santana grabbed one and one of the team members from the Lightning grabbed the other. Santana quickly used one of the walls to launch herself high into the air as she aimed for one of her opponents quickly getting the first out of the game.

Demi watched in awe at Santana's cat like moves not noticing until the last second that a ball was whizzing towards her head. She barely dodged it - a half a second more and she would have been toast. Santana turned back towards Demi and mouthed, "You okay?" Demi nodded still a little stunned at how fast paced the game was.

Not ready to throw just yet, she tossed her ball to Edge who rocketed it off a wall to get another player out.

"Two down, two to go" said Reyna.

The game went back and forth for a while. The She-tah's were down to 2 players, Demi and Santana, to the Lightning's two players. Demi had gotten a ball and was aiming for one of the players not seeing a ball ricocheting off the wall right at her. Santana lunged at it, tipping it enough to deflect it away from Demi but getting out in the process. As Santana exited the court, she whispered to Demi, "You've got this."

Demi took a deep breath and threw the ball straight at one of the two remaining Lightning players. Unfortunately, it was a little high and easy caught by her opponent, thus ending the first game. Demi was mad at herself for her rookie mistake. As the rest of the team came back on the court, Demi said, "Sorry, guys."

"Don't worry about it, Dani. We'll get them in the next two." said Edge giving Demi a high five before getting set for the next game.

The ref blew the whistle indicating the start of the second game. The She-tahs including Demi played a more cohesive match and easily won. Santana gathered the team together after the game.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about. One more game, just like that, ladies. The Lightning is going down."

"Hell yeah." said Reyna.

The final game was intense. The advantage waffled back and forth between teams. Demi and Santana were still on the court for the She-tahs while the Lightning only had one player left. Both Demi and Santana had a ball. Santana held her ball up to her face as she talked to Demi.

"Wait until I throw the ball and then count to two before you throw yours aiming for the player's ankles."

"Ok."

Santana stepped away from Demi and shouted, "Hey Dani, remember Newton?" As she said this she fired her ball at the perfect angle at the wall for it to hit the last Lightning player. The player barely dodged it; however, Demi's ball was already on its way hitting the Lightning player on the ankle getting the last out.

"Yeah!" said Santana jumping into the air pumping her fists. "Nice shot Dem . . . Dani!" She ran over to Demi, picked her up, and swung her around as Edge and Reyna came over to join the celebration.

"Dani, you can play on our team any time!" said Edge giving her a fist bump.

"Thanks! I had so much fun tonight. You guys are so awesome. I can see why you don't lose very often."

The She-tahs shook their opponent's hands and headed off the courts high fiving and jumping around in the process.

"Listen, guys, I have to run. Hot date tonight." said Edge.

"Who's the lucky girl?" said Santana grinning.

"Someone I just recently met through a friend. We have been on a few dates already."

"When do I get to meet this girl?"

"Soon, San, soon."

"Ok, I look forward to it! You know I need to personally approve anyone you date."

"Riiiiight, San."

"I'm out of here, too. The wifey and I are having a date night." said Reyna.

"Tell her 'Hello' and that I missed seeing her tonight." said Santana.

"Sure thing, San."

Edge and Reyna hugged Demi and Santana and headed out.

Santana turned to Demi. "You ready, Dani?"

Demi grinned, "Indeed, I am! I so need a shower. I stink."

"I think you smell like a winner."

Demi laughed and bumped her shoulder into Santana's, "Well, you would know what one smells like since it takes one to know one."

Santana put her arm around Demi's shoulder as they headed out. They were almost to the exit when a cute girl stopped them, saying, "Awwww, you guys are the cutest couple."

"Uh, . . . we . . . uh, are just friends." said Santana.

"Oh, so you are dumping me now?" said Demi as she kissed Santana on the cheek. Santana blushed not prepared for the feelings that came rushing right through her core after having Demi's lips on her on her cheek.

The cute girl said, "Give me a call if she does dump you. I'll treat you right."

At that instance, a fire erupted in Santana. "The hell you will. She's with me."

The cute girl smirked and said, "Sure, she is." before walking off.

Santana's blood was boiling as she turned to watch the cute girl. She had half a mind to let Auntie Snix out to wipe that smirk off her face. She felt a hand on her cheek turning her back around.

"Hey . . . Hey, San. Earth to Santana." said Demi dropping her hand from Santana's cheek to wave it in front of her eyes.

Santana's eyes met Demi's and whatever anger she felt melted away. She smiled at Demi. "Sorry about that."

Demi laughed. "I'm with you, huh?"

"Well, technically, I drove you here. So, yeah."

"I suppose that's true." said Demi whispering under her breath so Santana couldn't really hear, "I wish it was more than that."

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing." said Demi quickly changing the subject. "San, I really did have fun tonight. I feel like a new person. It was definitely nice to get some of my anger out. I feel light if that makes any sense."

"It totally does. Quinn is the one who got me into this league after Brittany and I broke up. It really gave me a healthier outlet to work through everything I was feeling."

"I can see how this league could do that. Thanks again for getting me out of the house. I think I'm ready to re-enter into society again." said Demi stopping Santana to give her a big hug.

"I'm glad you are feeling better. Ready to head home and hit the showers? Maybe we can order something in and watch movie later tonight if you are up for it."

"Sounds great. Now, take me home, Jeeves."

"Yes, my lady." said Santana hooking her arm into Demi's.

Santana opened the car door for Demi and they headed home. As they were driving, Demi kept looking at Santana out of the corner of her eyes acknowledging that she was starting to develop feelings for this sexy, latin goddess. She only hoped that Santana felt the same way.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Santana and Demi were both extremely busy over the next few weeks; Santana with work and some travel and Demi with re-scheduled radio and tv appearances not to mention general planning for the next leg of her tour. They talked most days either via phone calls or texts. Amazingly, they were able to squeeze in a coffee date after going so long not seeing each other. As Santana was about to head out to meet Demi, she received a text.

_Demi: Hey, my meeting is running long here. I'm probably going to be an hour late tonight. Do you want to re-schedule?_

_Santana: Nope. I will just bring my laptop and do work until you get there. I have plenty to do so no rush. :-(__  
_

_D: Ok. Sounds good. I will b there as soon as I can._

_S: K – looking forward 2 seeing the whites of ur eyes! I'm beginning 2 forget what u even look like. ;-)_

_D: LOL – me 2!_

Santana went back to her study and grabbed her computer and a stack of work. After kissing the kids goodbye one more time, she headed out.

Santana arrived at her favorite coffee place, Urban Java. Once there, she got her coffee and then picked out a booth to setup shop. She took her laptop and earbuds out of her bag. While her laptop was booting up, she plugged her earbuds into her phone, selected a retro playlist, and hit play. She internally sang with the Depeche Mode song that was playing. Listening to music always helped her focus. Soon she was plowing through the mountain of work she had to do for the next day. After about an hour, she received a text from Demi.

_Demi: Just wrapped up. Headed 2 the car. Should b there shortly._

_S: K – see u soon!_

Santana went back to working trying to finish as much as possible so she could focus on catching up with Demi when she arrived. About 10 minutes later she got another text.

_Demi: San – something just came up. Need 2 cancel. :-(__  
_

Santana frowned when she read the text from Demi. She was visibly disappointed. Moments later, she heard a familiar voice, "What's up, stranger? Surprise! Did you think I would miss my coffee chat time with you?" said Demi winking. Demi was always a practical jokester.

Santana pulled one earbud out as she said, "That's just rude. I mean, it's been years since I last saw you. You get my hopes and all and then just crush them like a tiny bug under some big ass shoe. You really shouldn't toy with a girl's emotions like that!" said Santana feigning hurt and distress.

Demi laughed. "I'm so sorry. I just didn't realize that my actions had that kind of an effect on you. Now, come over here and give me a hug. I've missed you!"

Santana pulled her other earbud out, got up, and gave Demi a big bear hug. "I've missed you, too." Santana had missed Demi more than she cared to admit. She had grown accustomed to having her in her bed, doing some pseudo-cuddling. But now their "real" lives had taken over making it nearly impossible to see each other live and in person.

Demi set her stuff down. "I'm going to go get some coffee. You ready for a refill?"

"Indeed." said Santana handing her cup to Demi.

"The usual?"

"Yep"

"Okay, I'll be right back and then we can do some serious catching up."

Demi came back shortly with piping hot coffees for both of them along with two slices of lemon pound cake. "I was totally hungry for something sweet so I got you a piece of pound cake, too."

"Yum. Thanks, Dem."

"No problem. So, what were you listening to earlier?"

"A little retro mix."

"Retro, eh? Like what?"

"80's music like Madonna, Depeche Mode, Erasure, New Order, Yaz, Flock of Seagulls, and several others."

"What made you in the mood for that type of music?"

"I listen to 80's, 90's, and some 70's music all the time. It's great music! You know how sometimes when you hear a song, you get transported back to a specific time or event in your life? Like you can see exactly what was going on while that song is playing?"

"Yeah – I do that a lot – especially with the songs I sing. Primarily because they stem from real events."

"I imagine that. For me, the retro stuff reminds me of high school. Everyone I hung out with listened to that kind of music. Certain songs like Madonna's early stuff reminds me of cheerleading. Other songs remind me of spring breaks, glee club, various parties, etc. It was a much simpler time then."

"Huh, well I learned something new tonight. I totally had no idea that you liked retro music."

"Yep. I do! Speaking of last century, we are still collecting items for our silent auction. Don't suppose you could donate some stuff that's maybe autographed?" said Santana flashing her pearly whites.

"Absolutely. I can have my manager send some stuff over this week. Where do you want me to have it sent?"

"You can just send it to me at work and I can get it over to the girls managing the event. Thanks, Demi. I really appreciate it. We really want to shatter the amount we raised last year and give the Make A Wish foundation a big, fat check!"

"I have no doubt that will happen."

"I know it's a few months away but do you think you might be able to come to it?"

"I can see what I can do. I'll talk to my manager about blocking that date off. Shoot me a text with the info."

"Ok." said Santana, taking out her phone starting to type. "I'm sending it to you right now. There – done! So what else are you up to these days?"

"Just busy with work. This week it has been a lot of radio interviews, some TV appearances, and working on tour stuff. Tomorrow I'm heading over to Nick's house to work on writing songs for both of our next albums."

"Nick Jonas?"

"Yeah."

"That's cool. He seems like a good guy."

"He is. We have been friends forever. He's a real sweetheart."

So, how are you doing otherwise? Have you heard from Wilmer?" said Santana curiously. While she thought that Demi was officially done with Wilmer, they had broken up and gotten back together many times before so she didn't rule out a reconciliation.

"He has called several times and has texted a bunch. I finally just texted him back and told him to stop, that we were over and there was nothing he could say or do to change that; then I blocked his number."

"Good for you. How are you feeling about the whole thing?" Santana's phone started to buzz. She glanced down at an incoming call from a number she didn't recognize. She silenced her phone, sending the call to voicemail.

"I actually feel pretty good. My mind wanders occasionally – it hurts that he cheated but I'm getting over it. Better to know now than to live in some surreal world. I still am dumbfounded how he could think that he would get away with it. I mean, we live in a time where there are so many ways to get caught."

"Yeah. He's a stupid S.O.B. What a dumb fuck. You are better off without him. So, got your eye on anyone now?"

"You could say that."

"Who is the lucky person?"

"Someone who doesn't know it yet."

"Well, when are you going to tell them?"

"Soon, very soon." said Demi smiling. "Listen, I'll be right back. I need to go to the bathroom. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm good."

"Okay"

Once Demi, left Santana looked down at her phone. The unknown caller had left a voicemail so Santana decided to check it while she waited for Demi to return. Santana heart went into her stomach as soon as she heard the voice.

_San – it's me. I was hoping you would pick up but at least I can hear your voice on your greeting. I wanted you to know that I will be getting out soon. I really miss you and the kids. I'm so sorry for everything. I'm really doing much better and I hope we can talk. Will you come see me? Please? I love you._

Santana felt like her whole world was crumbling around her. Hearing Brittany's voice literally sucked the life out of her and so many repressed feeling came rushing back. Moments later Demi came back to the booth. Santana looked like she had seen a ghost.

"San? You ok? You look a little pale."

"Uh . . . yeah . . . I'm ok . . . I think."

"What happened? I was only gone a few minutes."

"I got a voicemail while we were talking and decided to check it while you were gone."

"Oh no. Is it the kids?"

"No . . . it was Brittany."

"As in Brittany, Brittany? Your Brittany?"

"Yeah." said Santana in a daze.

"Are you ok, San? What did she say?"

"I don't know if I'm ok. She said that she missed the kids and I as well as she said that she loved me and wanted me to come see her. Sounds like she will be getting out soon."

"Wow. What are you going to do?" said Demi starting to get on edge.

"I don't know. I just don't know. I guess I thought this chapter of my life was over."

"Well, do you still love her?"

"I will always love her. She was my first love." said Santana a million miles away.

Demi wanted to curl up into the fetal position and cry. She knew that she couldn't compete with Brittany. How do you compete with a first love? Let alone, a blonde bombshell beauty first love. "Are . . . Are you still IN love with her?"

"I don't think I am, especially after all that she did to the kids and me."

_Don't think? Don't think? This should be a no brainer._ Demi felt her insides hollow. She was really starting to believe that Santana could be the one. _I guess I read everything wrong. I was always just a friend._ It was obvious that Santana was hurting, so Demi pushed aside her own sorrow, to be a friend to Santana.

"Is there anything I can do, San? Do you want to come over to my house? We can watch movies or hang out."

"You know, I'm all of a sudden really tired. I think I'm just going to head home and get some sleep. It has been a long day and a long week."

"I totally understand. Do you need me to drive you?"

"No, I can drive."

"Ok. I'll check in with you tomorrow. Call me if you need anything. Promise?"

"Sure. Thanks." said Santana packing up her belongings.

Demi stood up. "I'll walk you to your car."

"Ok."

Neither of them spoke as they headed to Santana's car. Santana opened the driver's side door. Before she could get in, Demi pulled her in for a long hug as she whispered, "It's going be alright, San. I promise. I'm here for you. Just let me know if there is anything I can do."

"Thanks, Demi."

And with that Santana got into her car and drove off. Demi wiped away a tear as she turned towards her car.

* * *

**A/N:** These next few chapters are going to be hard to write. I love puppy dogs and kisses, not drama, but no drama makes for a boring story. Just know that Demi and Santana will get together, but neither of them is ready just yet.

Hang with me . . .


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The next morning . . .

_D: San – wanted 2 check n with u. How r u feeling?_

_S: I'm at work in a meeting. I'm ok. Will talk to you l8tr._

_D: K. Give me a call. I'll b around._

Santana knew she wasn't ok. She wasn't at work either. Instead, she was at home taking what she liked to call a "sanity day" trying to process everything going through her head. Hearing from Brittany had really thrown her for a loop. Santana grabbed her phone and texted Quinn.

_S: Hey – can u come over after work 2night?_

_Q: I have 2 pick up the kids right after work. I can't leave until Rachel gets home. I should b able 2 b there around 8pm, tho. K?_

_S: Yeah, just get here as soon as you can._

_Q: What's going on? I know u aren't work 2day._

_S: I got a call from Brittany. Will explain 2night._

_Q: Holy sh*t! I'll b over as soon as I can. Don't do anything stupid b4 I get there._

_S: Just get here . . ._

* * *

Demi called her Manager and asked that she send over some paraphernalia for the charity event to Santana at work. It was a fairly light day for her, just a radio interview, one meeting, and then writing/playing with Nick in the evening. Her mind drifted to Santana and Brittany. Santana had shown her a picture of Brittany not too long ago. She was everything that she wasn't – blonde, blue eyes, tall, gorgeous. She was Santana's first real love and her high school sweetheart. The more Demi thought of the reality of the situation the more depressed she got.

Santana had shared some of why they broke up but not all the details. Whatever had happened, it was big and dramatic especially since Brittany had landed in prison. She had no idea what Brittany could have done that would put her in jail. Thinking of that gave her some hope that Santana wouldn't re-unite with her past lover but the more she played it out in her mind, the more she convinced herself that Santana was still in love with Brittany. Last night had proved that. _Look at her reaction. Right? What else could it be?_ Demi tried to suppress her true feelings for Santana. There was really no point. She was never going to reciprocate them. It was time for her to move on and think of Santana for what she was – a friend, just a friend. Demi took a few deep breaths and motivated herself to start getting ready for her interview.

* * *

Later that evening, Santana opened the door for Quinn. Quinn stepped into Santana's house and gave Santana a big hug.

"Sorry, I'm so late. Rachel just got home. Are the kids in bed already?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. Let's talk."

Santana led the way to the living room and plopped down on one of the sofas. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"No. Now, dish."

"Well, I was having coffee with Demi yesterday, and I ended up getting a call during our conversation from a number that I didn't recognize so I sent it to voicemail. Demi went to the restroom and I ended up checking the message. Santana picked up her phone and scrolled through her voicemails. Finding the one she was looking for, she handed her phone to Quinn. "Listen to it."

Quinn took Santana's phone and pressed play on the message. As she listened to it, her face registered a look of concern. She knew the effect Brittany had on Santana. This message was equivalent to Santana holding a lighted stick of dynamite.

"San, I'm so sorry. What are you going to do? Are you going to see her?"

"I don't know. I mean, I don't think so. I- I just can't handle that. Not now. I'm afraid to see her because I have no idea what I will do. I'm just so confused. What do you think I should do?"

"Look, Brittany is a friend and she always will be, but I will never forgive her for what she put you and the kids through. Remember, I saw firsthand how it all went down. Listen, you are in a good place now. Don't let her drag you somewhere else."

"Yeah, you're right. It would probably be a mistake to go see her. I mean, I know that I will eventually have to see her when she gets out, but I don't feel like that is something I'm up for right now."

"The good news is that you don't have to deal with it right now." Quinn pushed the delete button on the message and handed Santana's phone back to her. "Now, you won't be tempted to listen to it over and over."

"Thanks, Quinn."

"No problem. You know I'm always here for you." Quinn leaned in for a hug.

"I know. That's why I love you."

"San, I'm curious. Are you still in love with her?"

"I know I love her and I will always love her, but I have been thinking about the whole 'in love' thing. Demi asked me the same question last night and I didn't know how to respond. I guess I really won't know for sure until I see her, but regardless, she and I will never get back together."

"Why is that?"

"Because you don't ever cheat on Santana Lopez. My trust with her is gone . . . exponentially gone. Not only did she cheat on me but even worse, she put the kids in danger. There is no way, no how, that I will allow my feelings to get in the way of what's best for my family. I have been thinking about all of this non-stop for the last 24 hours. I have gone from one end of the spectrum to the other, but it's pretty clear now, that it would never work again, no matter if she is clean and sober. Trust is the basis of a relationship and once it's broken you can never really get it back."

"That's logical thinking, San. What will be interesting is when your heart has a say in the matter."

"Yeah, I know. It won't come to a head until I see her and I have time on my hands in that area so I'm not going to focus on that until I have to."

"So, speaking of love interests, what's up with Demi? Still crushing on her?" said Quinn grinning, trying to change the subject to something a little more upbeat.

Santana smiled as she thought about Demi. She definitely had a crush. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Riiiiiight. Drop the act, San. Give me the scoop."

"Look, it doesn't matter anyway. She's straight, end of story."

"How do you know she's straight?"

"Uh, because she has dated guys and she just broke up with a guy. Duh!"

"I seem to recall you dating guys."

"That was different."

"How?"

"It just was. Look, Demi and I are friends. Would I like it to be more? Yes, sure I would. In fact you have no idea how much I would love that, but I'll take what I can get. She's a good person with a good heart. If we are only friends, so be it."

"All I'm saying is don't rule her out yet. You just never know."

"You're right and I will probably be the next lottery winner, too." said Santana sarcastically.

"Whatever." said Quinn rolling her eyes. "Listen, I'm going to head home and go see my wife for a few minutes before I hit the hay. It's going to be long day at work for me tomorrow."

"Tell Hobbit, 'Hello' for me."

"There's my Santana. Now, stop calling my wife that. How many times do I have to tell you that? She's my wife, for god's sake."

"Right, right, sure, sure. I'll work on that." said Santana smirking.

Santana walked Quinn to the door. She stopped Quinn on her way out. "Thanks again, Quinn, for coming over. It's nice to talk to someone who understands all this crap."

"Anytime, San. You know I'm here for you. Rachel and I are both here for you." Quinn kissed Santana on the cheek. "Bye, San. Get some rest. See you in the morning. You are showing up to work, right?"

Santana chuckled. "Yeah, I'll be there." As she shut the door, she replayed her conversation with Demi from last night. She felt bad that Brittany had ruined their evening, especially since they had had next to nil time together lately. Something else was troubling Santana; her guilt about lying this morning to Demi. Santana remembered that she had told Demi that she would talk to her later. She walked over to her phone, picked it up, and called her hell bent on coming clean about her lie earlier. She felt like Demi would understand and not judge her or be upset as to why she did it. She also planned on apologizing for being so out of it yesterday. _Damn, Brittany. Why do you have to fuck with my life even when you aren't even here with me?_

Santana heard ringing on the other end. She smiled knowing she would hear Demi's voice any second.

* * *

Demi wrapped up her day by driving over to Nick's house. The best part was that he had a built-in studio where they could write, play, and record music. She got her guitar and bag out of her car, walked up to the front door, and rang the doorbell.

Nick opened the door with a large grin plastered on his face. "Hey, you!"

"Hey, Nick." Demi said, giving him a hug as she made her way in.

"Come on back. I have everything setup for us. What do you want to drink?"

"Great! Just water for now. Listen, I have been really inspired lately and I think I have some kick ass songs in the making."

"Can't wait to hear them. Go on back. I'll get us some drinks and be in momentarily."

"Ok"

Demi went into the sound booth and sat on the couch placing her phone on one of the side tables. She got out her notebook and picked up her guitar and started strumming a few chords she had been working on.

"I like that sound. What else do you have?" said Nick, sitting on the sofa next to Demi.

"A few rough lyrics. Sit down and I will play what I have so far."

Demi deftly played and sung her newest creation. Nick nodded his head and lightly tapped his hands on his thighs in rhythm with the beat.

"Demi, that's awesome."

"Thanks. I need to tweak some of it and add another verse or two, but I'm feeling good about the direction."

Nick and Demi worked heads down on Demi's song for about an hour. "What do you think? You ready to record it, Demi?"

"Nah, not yet. It just doesn't feel done. There is something that's missing. I just can't put my finger on it yet."

"I love that you are such a perfectionist. How 'bout we take a break?"

"Sounds good."

Demi and Nick both put down their guitars. "So, how are you? I was sorry to hear about you and Wilmer."

"Thanks, Nick. I'm doing better."

"So, are you guys really done?"

"Uh, yeah . . . I will never go back to that cheater no matter how many times he begs."

"Has he been trying to get you back?"

"Let's just say that my voicemails have been maxed out, not to mention I'm happy that I'm on an unlimited text plan. I finally told him to just leave me alone. So far, he is respecting my wishes."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. So, you dating anyone new?"

"No, not yet. I'm not sure I'm ready to start over. It's been so long I don't even know how to date anymore." said Demi laughing.

Nick scooted closer to Demi. "Maybe you don't have to start over." Nick leaned in close to Demi. "In fact, maybe you can go out with someone who you have known forever." He closed the gap and grazed Demi's lips with a soft kiss.

Demi pulled back surprised. A million thoughts flew around in her mind as she tried to make sense of what just happened. _Nick is like my brother. Wait, he didn't kiss like a brother. Right? Did I like it? I think so. What the hell, Demi?_ Demi leaned into Nick and kissed him deeply needing to find out the verdict. _Holy shit. I think I do like him. Right?_

The next half hour turned into a heated make out session; Demi wrestled subconsciously with herself as to what she was really feeling. She decided to just go with it. After last night, she knew she really didn't have any prospects on the horizon. If being with Santana was ever an option, she knew she was definitely off the table now. Santana was obviously still in love with Brittany.

Nick broke away to catch his breath and smiled at Demi. "Do you want to go somewhere more comfortable?"

Demi thought for a moment and decided there was no reason not to. Like Santana said, Nick was a nice guy. He was her friend. She trusted him. _That makes him perfect boyfriend material. Right? _"Y-Yes. Yes, I do.x`"

Nick took Demi's hand and led her to his bedroom. A minute after they left the studio, Santana's picture lit up on Demi's phone.

* * *

_Voicemail. Damn._ Dejected, Santana hung up the phone. This was not a voicemail conversation.

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know . . . don't hate me. Also, I edited the last chapter. I had her going to Joe's house and it should have been Nick's. Those Jonas Brothers – I just get them all mixed up! :-)


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Demi awoke the next morning very disoriented to her surroundings. It took her a minute to remember the events of the evening before. As she rolled over, she saw Nick was still sleeping. Not wanting to wake him in order to give her more time to process what had happened, she slipped quietly out of bed and gathered her clothing. She quickly headed into the bathroom.

Demi put her clothes back on and turned to look at herself in the mirror supporting herself with her hands on either side of the sink. She splashed water on her face in an attempt to wake up and shake the cobwebs out.

_Ok, Demi. Let's think this through. So, I slept with Nick. The sex was good even though I couldn't really let go, but that will come (cum) with time, right?_ Demi laughed to herself at the "punny" she had made in her mind. _I mean, it was the same way with Wilmer. It took me a while to be able to do that with him and even so it wasn't consistent, but that's not what sex/making love is all about, right? Nick was much more attentive last night than Wilmer ever was, so that has to count for something. I mean, who cares if I can't have an orgasm right away? I'm pretty sure that Nick had fun. _

_Bottom line - Nick is a great guy. We have known each other for years. He gets me, really gets me. He has seen me in my highest of highs and my lowest of lows and still wants to be with me. Also, I'm fairly certain that he loves me and possibly is in love with me. I would be crazy to walk away and not see where this goes. Now, the question is do I love him. Hmmmmm . . . _

Demi pondered this thought over and over in her mind.

_I know I love him as a friend and obviously now more than a friend as of last night. Am I in love with him? No, I don't think so, but I don't have to be right now. That can evolve as we get to know each other in a more intimate way. Don't over think this, Demi. Just go with it. What do you have to lose? You know Nick will always have your best interests at heart. He's a good soul. You know that for sure. You have seen that first hand for years._

Demi was so lost in her head that she jumped when she felt arms snake around her waist and a single kiss placed on her shoulder.

"Good morning, beautiful." said Nick smiling.

"Oh, hey. You scared me!" said Demi leaning back into Nick's strong arms.

Demi turned to face him, "Listen, I didn't realize how late it is already. I hate to do this, but I have to run otherwise I'm going to be late for a meeting."

"Can I make you some breakfast first?"

"No, I will probably just grab something on the way."

"Ok. Wish I could convince you to stay but I totally understand. Let me walk you out." Nick put his arm around Demi's waist escorting her to her car.

"Oh, crap!"

"What's wrong, Demi?" said Nick with a look of concern.

"I totally left my purse, guitar, notebook, and phone in your studio. Here, I'll go get them."

"Nonsense. Wait here and I will grab them."

As Demi waited for Nick to get back, she was completely unaware of the camera shutter going off multiple times in the background.

"Here you go, beautiful." said Nick as he handed Demi her purse.

Demi dug inside, found her keys, and unlocked her car. Nick opened her door and loaded the rest of her things in for her.

"So, call you later?" said Nick.

"Sure. That sounds great."

Nick leaned in for a kiss as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind Demi's ear. "Talk to you soon."

"Ok, Nick."

Nick shut Demi's car door and watched her drive off smiling to himself. He was finally with the girl he had wanted for years.

* * *

Demi drove to her condo so she could shower and get ready for her meeting. As she opened her door, she dropped her stuff on the sofa and went over to the kitchen to start some coffee brewing to try to get some much need caffeine injected into her body. As she waited for her first cup of the day, she grabbed her phone and started scrolling through missed texts and calls. It was then that she noticed that she had missed a call from Santana.

"Shit."

Demi felt horrible. She had told Santana she would be around and for her to call. "Crap, crap, crap." _Some friend, I am. Well, it's too late to call her back right now because I'm barely going to make my meeting as it is. I'll just text her letting her know that I will call her tonight._

Demi sent a quick text to Santana and headed back to her bedroom to get ready.

* * *

Later that evening . . .

As soon as Santana walked in the door, Jordy ran up with tears in his eyes. Santana immediately dropped to her knees so she was at his level. "What's wrong, baby?" taking him into her arms for a hug, stroking his hair. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"N-no. It's just that . . . that . . ."

"That what?"

"Mom, D-D-Demi has a new b-b-boyfriend."

"What? What are you talking about, Jordy?" Santana felt her heart sink.

"I heard it today at school. Nick Jonas is her boyfriend. Wh-Wh-Why didn't she pick me?" Jordy said through his sobs.

"Shhhh." Santana faced Jordy, put a hand on each of his arms, and stared intently into his eyes. "Listen, buddy, just because someone told you this doesn't make it true. And you know, you are too young to date her anyway." Santana flashed forward to Jordy being old enough to date. It was a terrifying thought. She shook the image her head and came back into reality. _Calm down, he's only 6, Santana. You have time to prepare for that. Let's handle today's issues._

"So, maybe it's not t-t-true."

"Yeah, buddy. It may not be, but even if it is, it's ok. She's an adult and if Nick makes her happy, then that's a good thing, right?" Santana felt her stomach turned as she said that.

"I-I-I guess so."

Santana wiped away the tear streaks from Jordy's face and pulled him in for another hug. "Of course it is. It's all going to work out how it's supposed to. You just need to let everything play out. Everything happens for a reason. You'll see. Now, let's go find your sisters."

Santana walked with Jordy to the kitchen and was greeted by Sophia and Gabby. "Hi girls" said Santana hugging and kissing each of them. "Hey, Morgan."

"Hey, Mrs. L."

"How was school, girls?"

"It was good." said Sophia.

"Ok, I can't wait to hear all about it; however, it's getting kind of late, so we'll talk about everything you did tomorrow."

"Ok, Mommy." Sophia and Gabby both said.

"Morgan, what else do the kids need to do before bedtime?"

"Just brush teeth and reading."

"Ok, great. Kids, go brush your teeth then I will be in to read you one story before it's time to hit the hay."

Santana dropped her work in her office and headed back to the kitchen to grab an apple to munch on while the kids finished brushing her teeth. It had been a long day at work, but Santana could already tell it was going to be a pickup dodgeball night, especially if it turned out to be true that Demi was with Nick. If that was the case, she was going to need to get some aggression out before she talked to Demi.

After Santana finished reading to the kids, she got them tucked in and kissed them goodnight. She went into her office and turned on her computer. Once it booted up, she googled "Demi and Nick." The first of many links that showed up showed a picture of the two of them kissing less than 24hrs ago. She clicked on the short article and quickly skimmed it. It said that neither side had confirmed the dating rumors but the kiss looked pretty indicative as to what was going on.

Santana rubbed her temples. _Jesus, that was fast. Why do even I care? It's not like she was ever going to be with me. She is straight for god's sake. There is absolutely nothing I can do to change that. I have to figure out a way to be ok with being friends. I'm just not sure how to not feel what I feel._

Santana shook her head, stood up, and went to get changed. A short while later, she bid Morgan "adieu" and drove to Sky Zone determined to get her head straight by inflicting her dodgeball prowess on others.

* * *

**A/N:** Ugh, so ready for Demi and Santana to be together already. I really dislike having to write the Nick storyline, but I gotta do it! Both Demi and Santana have some work to do before they can be a legit couple.

Again, thanks for the feedback, the follows, and favorites. I truly appreciate all the support and encouragement. It means so much to me especially since this is my first attempt at "story" writing. In addition, I wanted to give a big shout out to a very gift writer, clover27. I'm currently reading her Santana Oneshots ( s/10462422/1/Santana-Oneshots). If you haven't done so already, you have got to check them out. They are A-MAZING!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Demi was exhausted. Her meeting had lasted much longer than she anticipated. In the middle of it, she had to shut off her phone as it started blowing up. Apparently some stupid paparazzi took pictures of her and Nick kissing which had gone viral. They could be such bottom feeders at times. At the end of the day, it was nothing she wasn't used to; however, she this caused her to have numerous side conversations with her publicist to determine how they would be handling the situation which ultimately elongated her day.

When she finally got home, she collapsed on the couch, completely exhausted. She took a deep breath and sighed as she turned on her phone again. Immediately, the counts on her texts and voicemails started to increase. Thank god for visual voicemail so she could go directly to the messages she wanted hear. She listened to a couple from her friends who inevitability wanted to know the story with Nick. She would return those later. She closed out her voicemail screen and switched over to bring up her texts. Nick had texted earlier and wanted to see her but frankly she needed to get some sleep and she was fairly certain that wouldn't happen if she invited him over. She texted him back that she would call or text him later as she didn't want to seem like she was blowing him off.

Demi yawned and leaned her head back on the sofa. Her thoughts drifted to Santana. She wondered how she was doing. Santana hadn't been very verbose on her latest texts so Demi was really clueless if she was doing better. It seemed like forever since she had talked to her and yet it had only been a few days. She scrolled down her phone numbers until she found Santana's number and hit send. She waited for Santana to pick up, but unfortunately only got voicemail.

"Hey San, this is Demi. I was just trying to reach you to see how you were doing. Give me a call. It has been a long day so I won't be up much longer. Maybe we can grab coffee soon. I miss you . . ." Demi hung up and put the phone beside her on the couch. A few minutes later she heard her phone ring. Demi smiled when she saw the familiar face flashing on her phone.

"Hey, Demi."

"Hey, Mom."

"You ok? You sound tired. Have you eaten? Are you sick?"

Demi chuckled, "Mom, I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm just tired but I'm going to be in bed soon. How are you?"

"I'm okay. I've been getting a lot of calls today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes . . . so I have to ask if the rumors are true. Am I going to be a grandmother?"

"Shut up, mom! Really? Really?"

Dianna laughed and said with a pouty voice, "You mean it's not true? I was so excited! I had already started knitting booties." She loved teasing her daughter and she always had plenty of opportunities to do so since the rumor mill was always hopping.

"Ugh, mom. Trust me, you will be the first to know when I get preggers."

"Good! Ok, so let's head to the next one that I'm hearing. You and Nick?"

There was dead silence on the phone.

"Ok, I will take that as a 'yes'. Are you going to give me some details?"

"Well, mom, it all happened so fast, it's a little bit of a blur. I had no idea that Nick liked me like that. I mean, I just went to his house to do some writing and then one thing sorta lead to another."

"Demi, you just broke up with Wilmer. Don't you think this is a little quick?"

"I know, I know, but it's not like I haven't known him forever. He's a good guy. He really cares about me."

"I don't doubt that, Demi, but I'm just concerned about you. There is no need to rush into anything. If you won't listen to me, why not get a third party opinion and talk to Dr. Davis?"

Dr. Davis was Demi's psychologist. Demi had gone to her on and off since she had gotten out of rehab. "I'll think about it, mom, but right now, I need to go to bed," said Demi yawning. "I'm beat."

"Ok, daughter. Get some rest. Think about what I said. It couldn't hurt, right?"

"Ok, I'll think about it. I love you, mom."

"Love you, too, Demi. Talk to you soon, sweetheart."

"Bye, mom."

* * *

Santana was dripping with sweat. She walked away from the wake of opponents she had mercilessly defeated during her 6 games of dodgeball. After such an intense workout, Santana was ready to call it quits. Picking up her phone, she noticed she had a missed call from Demi. She listened to Demi's message and contemplated calling her back. She thought better of it, coming to the conclusion that she really didn't want to know the truth before she went to bed. She was still clinging on to a small bit of hope that these stories were all lies and just another attempt for someone to make a buck. Hearing what she feared would only make sleep more difficult. No, Santana wanted to live in her fantasy world for at least one more night. When Santana arrived home, she showered and crashed hard.

* * *

Demi woke up late morning the next day, catching up on some much needed sleep. As she lay in bed grappling with the decision of whether to go back to sleep or actually start her day, she began daydreaming about nothing in particular. She was quickly brought back to reality hearing her phone go off. She rolled over and grabbed it to see a text message waiting for her:

_Wilmer: So, that didn't take long. Can you really forget about me that easily? I bet you had been cheating on me with Nick the whole time. Sure you were writing with him all those nights. I should have known._

Demi groaned and rolled her eyes. _God, he's such a jerk. What was it that I actually saw in him in the first place?_ Demi was tempted to send back a flaming response but decided to play the adult and just not reply. Hearing from Wilmer did give her pause though. It wasn't that long ago that they were together talking about an eventual marriage, kids, etc. Things had moved quickly with Nick. _But when it's right, time doesn't matter._ Demi laughed nervously to herself. _Maybe I will make an appointment with Dr. Davis._

* * *

The next morning, the kids came racing into Santana's room, effectively piling on her.

"Ooof!" Santana said wincing as her sore muscles screamed out. "Be gentle with me. I'm old."

"You're not old, Mom," said Jordy climbing off of Santana.

Santana smiled and ruffled Jordy's hair as she attempted to slide out from under Sophia and Gabby. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

"No, we want you to make us pancakes. Chocolate Chip pancakes!" screamed Sophia.

"Ok, ok. No need to shout, I'm right here. So chocolate chip pancakes for everyone?"

"Yes!" shouted the kids in unison.

"Alright then - If you want pancakes, all three of you are going to have to help me out of this bed."

The kids scrambled around Santana and pulled her up so she was in a sitting position in bed. Jordy and Sophia each got a foot and pulled them around so they were hanging off the bed. Lastly, Jordy and Sophia each grabbed one of Santana's hands and pulled as Gabby pushed on her back. With the team effort they were able to get Santana into an upright position.

Santana smirked at the determination of her kids. _Wonder where they get that from_? Her smirked soon turned into a grimace as_ s_he stretched her arms over her head attempting to loosen her tight muscles with little success. She walked gingerly to the kitchen to start breakfast. It was going to be a long, slow day.

* * *

Demi had reached out to Dr. Davis who had agreed to see Demi that afternoon - definitely one of the advantages of Demi's celebrity status. Demi had managed to get out bed, shower, and eat and although she would have loved to stay snuggled under the covers all day, she knew she would feel guilty if she did.

Shortly thereafter, she found herself at Dr. Davis' office. As she entered into the waiting area, a flood of memories came rushing back. She had definitely come a long way since her first visit. She was a very different person now. No, she wasn't perfect, but she was at least at peace with that fact.

"Hi, Demi. Good to see you." said Dr. Davis opening her office door.

"Hey, Dr. Davis. Thanks for seeing me today." said Demi taking her usual spot on one of her sofas.

Dr. Davis sat down and pulled out her notepad. "So, what brings you here today?"

"Well, a lot has been going on in my life lately, and my mom suggested it might be good if I talked to you about it."

"And you agree with your mom?"

"Not at first, but as I reflected on it, I thought it might be a good idea to get a little more perspective on things."

"Fair enough. What's been going on?"

"Well, I recently broke up with Wilmer."

"Oh? What happened?"

"I caught him in bed screwing another girl on the day I was planning a special birthday celebration for him."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Demi. How did that make you feel?"

"Angry, sad, confused, and probably a whole mess of other things."

"How long had you two been together?"

"On and off for about 4 years?"

"On and off? Why on and off?"

"I don't know. We just would break up and eventually get back together."

"Why do you think you always ended back together?"

Demi pondered that question and finally answered, "Because that's just what we did."

"But why?"

"I don't know, because I loved him and I missed 'us'?"

"Do you think perhaps you continued to go back to him more because it was comfortable?"

Demi frowned as she deliberated over Dr. Davis' question. "I never really considered that possibility. I suppose that could have been part of it, but I did love him."

"Demi, love is work. When two people really love each other they try to find a way to make it work no matter what. They don't run away from the relationship."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm just saying that maybe you and Wilmer were not supposed to be together. I think if you truly loved him, you wouldn't have gone through the series of break ups and reunitings. It became an unhealthy, easy pattern for the two of you."

This revelation hit Demi like a ton of bricks. As she was still trying to come to terms with what Dr. Davis had just said, Dr. Davis asked another question. "Are you seeing anyone now?"

Demi shifted uncomfortably. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. How long have you been seeing with this person?"

"Not long . . ." was all Demi could muster.

"And do you think you can love this person?"

"I-I-I think so . . . I mean, yes. I-I-I already love him. We have been friends forever. He's a good guy."

"How is he good?"

"Well, he's sweet and caring. He's a gentleman."

"Are you attracted to him?"

"Yes . . ."

"Are you in love with him?"

"It's still so new. So, no, not yet, but he's such a nice guy, I think it's inevitable."

"So, knowing what I know about Wilmer from our previous sessions, it seems like this person is the complete opposite."

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Have you considered that maybe he is too safe? That you are running to someone so different than Wilmer in order to help you forget the pain he caused you?"

Demi's eyes widened. _Dr. Davis is out of her mind. Who is she to judge my relationship?_ Demi started to get defensive. "Nick is great. He's perfect for me." She said glaring back at Dr. Davis; however, she felt the beginnings of self-doubt creeping in.

Demi had problems focusing the rest of the session. She was too busy having an internal debate spurred on by what Dr. Davis had asked. She was glad when their hour was up but found herself a lot more confused than when she had walked in.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Demi spent the rest of the afternoon contemplating whether she was playing it safe with Nick. Her brain hurt as she tried to sort out her true feelings. Sighing, she finally concluded that she needed to see him and let her heart weigh in on the matter. So, she picked up her phone and texted Nick.

D: Hey - Whatcha doing?

N: Hey! Was wondering when I was going 2 hear from you. I'm just doing a little writing. What r u up 2?

D: I want 2 c u. U wanna come over later?

N: Sure. When?

D: 7pm? We can order some food and watch a movie or something.

N: Perfect! It's a date! I'll c u soon. J

D: K

Demi was nervous. She had no idea how this evening was going to go but hoped that she would get some clarity on her feelings one way or another.

* * *

Santana took it easy the rest of the day letting her muscles recover. She wrestled internally as to whether to call Demi. Sure, she missed talking to her, but she wasn't positive that she was going to be able to feign happiness when Demi confirmed that she did indeed have a new boyfriend. _Ugh, might as well get it over with. I'm not going to be able to avoid the inevitable forever. _Santana asked Siri to call Demi. They had been playing voicemail and text tag lately so she half expected to hear Demi's voicemail pick up.

"Saaaaaaaaaan!"

Hearing those words made Santana melt. "Hey, Demi. Long time no talk, girl."

Demi giggled on the other end. "I know, I know. I've missed you! We need to do coffee or a meal this week so I can see the whites of your eyes. I was beginning to think that you had fallen off the face of the earth."

Santana chuckled. "No, no, I'm still here. Just the same ole', same ole'. However, sounds like you have some big changes in your life if the rumor mill is true."

"Uh, yeah . . . I wanted to let you know about Nick but didn't think it was voicemail or text worthy. It's all still a little surreal. I mean, we just started dating. But, hey, enough about me. How are you? I was so worried about you the other night. Are you doing better? Have you heard from Brittany again?"

Santana's heart literally felt like it was being ripped into small pieces with each piece being tossed into a meat grinder for good measure. She took a moment to gather herself before replying as she didn't want to let on how affected she was by Demi's news or questions. "I'm good, really good. I have several new clients at work, the kids are doing great, practices for our charity event are going well, the She-tahs are in first place. What more could I ask for?" Santana felt a smirk creep onto her face. _Ok, that's a loaded question. "_By the way, thanks again for the stuff you send over for the silent auction. I really appreciate it. I feel like we have a good chance to beat our all-time high. I so want to hand a big, fat check to the Make A Wish Foundation. There is nothing better than putting a smile on a kid's face."

"I'm sure you will. In fact, I'm sure you will crush what you raised in the past! I mean, it's not like you do anything half-ass."

"True, true." Santana started to feel some normalcy coming back with her friendship with Demi as well as her confidence.

"Soooooo . . . what about Brittany?"

Santana grimaced. _So much for that confidence_. "I haven't heard from her again. I imagine our paths will cross soon enough, but I'm trying hard not to think about it and just live in the here and now."

"Good approach. No need to concern yourself with that situation until you have to. Listen, San, I need to go hop in the shower before Nick gets here. What does your schedule look like this week? I would love to get together and catch up properly."

Santana felt a little bit of throw up in the back of her mouth when she heard Nick was going to Demi's. In her heart, she knew she stood no chance with Demi, but she didn't want to think about someone else with her, kissing her, touching her, the way she wanted to. It didn't help that Santana hadn't gotten laid lately so more often than not scorching hot visions of Demi crept into her fantasies easily helping her achieve much needed releases. She silently prayed that thoughts of Demi and Nick together wouldn't start invading her imagination. If so, she might as well check into a convent.

"Let me look at my work schedule tomorrow. I'm fairly certain I have to go out of town for a few days but nothing is solidified yet. I'll text you with some dates that work for me."

"Ok, let me know. I'm really looking forward to catching up with you, San."

"Me too. Talk to you later."

"Bye, San."

Demi smiled as she ended the call, relieved that Santana appeared back to her normal self. She had missed their regular talks, feeling a large void because of it. Mulling over this revelation, she couldn't think of a single friend of hers where this was the case. Hell, she could go 6 months or years without talking to some of her friends. With Santana, it was different. She wanted to talk to her daily, even multiple times a day and it affected her when she didn't. It was weird how fast they had clicked.

Demi looked at her watch and realized she needed to get showered and changed quickly or Nick was going to be greeted by sweatpants and greasy hair. Not the way to impress her new boyfriend.

* * *

Demi heard a knock at her door as she was putting the final touches on her makeup. She checked herself quickly in her mirror and gave herself the stamp of approval. Sexy casual – just what she was going for.

Nick pulled Demi in for a long kiss as soon as he entered her condo.

"Well, hello. I've missed those lips."

Demi blushed. "I've missed you, too."

Nick took a moment to take in the very attractive woman he saw in before him. Starting to feel self-conscious because of Nick's lingering stares, she grabbed Nick's hand and led him into the living room, bringing him to a coffee table where she had laid out a variety of takeout menus. "What sounds good tonight?"

"Anything is fine with me. You choose."

"I'm thinking Chinese. Does that sound ok?"

Nick nodded. "Let me know what you want and I can call it in."

Demi handed the menu to Nick. "I've already circled what I want." said Demi grinning.

"Well, that was quick." said Nick giving her a wink while flashing a big grin. "Why don't you pick out a movie, while I get everything ordered?"

"Ok." Demi perused her rather eclectic movie collection. "What about an oldie like Pulp Fiction? Or maybe Silence of the Lambs?"

"Let's go with Pulp Fiction. That was awesome movie not that Silence of the Lambs wasn't but I'm not one to eat while I watch it. Something about Anthony Hopkins going on about eating a guy's liver with fava beans sorta ruins a meal for me."

Demi laughed out loud. "Makes sense. Pulp Fiction it is." Demi put the movie in and headed over to the couch to snuggle with Nick while they waited for the food to arrive. She rested her head on Nick's shoulder and pulled his arm around her.

Demi sighed contently feeling very secure in Nick's embrace. He turned and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him, studying his face and features. He was an attractive guy. Strong jawline, striking, model type features not to mention he was the perfect gentleman which was not easy to find nowadays. Deep down, however, she knew there was no spark for her, but she was not ready to admit this to herself just yet. Here was the perfect guy in front of her. She would be stupid to not try to make it work. _A spark can come later, right? Sure, it can. It has to._

Nick and Demi finished eating their dinner and watching the movie. With less than 20 minutes remaining of the movie, Demi ended up falling asleep. Nick picked up Demi carefully, trying not to wake her as he carried her to her bed. A groggy Demi barely opened one eye and patted on the bed next to her. He accepted the gesture and crawled in adjacent to her. Demi moved her head to Nick's chest where he proceeded to pull her even closer before sleep overcame both of them.

* * *

Several days later . . .

Driving up to their usual coffee spot, Santana found herself getting nervous. It seemed like an eternity since she had seen Demi. She wondered if it would be awkward this time or if they would find their groove as they always had in the past. Upon entering Urban Java, she looked around. No sign of Demi just yet, so Santana went up to order coffees for both of them.

With coffees in hand, Santana surveyed the room and selected one of the more secluded booths. Right as she was about to sit down, she saw Demi walking through the door. She waved and showed Demi that she had already gotten coffee for both of them. Demi smiled and made her way to Santana.

"I've missed you!" said Demi grinning, pulling in Santana for a hug. Demi couldn't help noticing how comfortable she felt. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it just seemed right.

"I've missed you, too!" As they hugged, Santana found herself closing her eyes breathing in Demi's scent. She smelled like a mix between vanilla and lavender. Santana longed to be able to curl up with Demi and drift peacefully to sleep much like she was able to do in that week after she broke up with Wilmer. Separating from the hug, Santana wore a goofy, daydreaming grin.

"You ok?"

"Huh? What?" said Santana willing herself back to reality.

"You seemed a little out of it. Are you ok?"

"Me? Yeah, yeah – I'm fine. Just lacking in the sleep department."

Demi laughed. "I totally hear that! So, what's going on with you? Get me caught up on your life."

Demi and Santana talked like they had been lifelong friends. The hours that went by seemed liked minutes. No subject was left untouched so it was just a matter of time until the topic of Nick came up. Santana tried to hide her true feelings and be supportive of Demi; however with each passing detail, Santana felt more and more depressed. It was silly for her to feel the way she did about Demi. Santana was gay and Demi was most definitely straight, but that fact barely registered with her brain and had absolutely no bearing on her heart.

"So Nick and I are both out of town this weekend, but we are talking about going dancing next weekend. What about you, Quinn, and Rachel come with us?"

Santana was hesitant. She wasn't sure she could handle live and in person PDA. "Uh, let me check with them and I'll get back to you."

"Sure. No problem. I think it would be so much fun. I really hope you guys can come!"

Santana glanced down at her watch. "Shit, I didn't realize it was so late. I still have a ton of work to do for tomorrow."

"Yeah, I have a busy day tomorrow so I need to get some much needed beauty sleep."

Santana found her thoughts wandering again. Y_ou are a beauty when you sleep. You have no idea just how beautiful. _Demi and Santana hugged each other one last time, exited the coffee shop, and headed to their respective cars.

* * *

**A/N: ** Another chapter coming out shortly that has a little more spice to it. :-)


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The next morning, Santana entered Quinn's office and shut the door.

Quinn looked up from her computer. "I know that look. What's wrong?"

Santana sat in one of chairs across from Quinn's desk and sighed. "I saw Demi last night."

"Ok . . . and?"

"And nothing. She is officially dating Nick. I don't even know why it bothers me so much. The girl is into guys."

"Well, I know someone who can be pretty persuasive in swinging someone to the dark side." said Quinn smirking.

"Yeah, Hobbit owes me big time for that." said Santana returning the smirk.

"Santana, please stop calling Rachel, Hobbit. Ok? She is my wife. How many times do I have to remind you of this?"

"Sorry. Old habits die hard, ya know?"

"Kill it, stick a fork in it, toss it down a well – I don't care what you have to do, just stop already. This is the woman who I love – even more than you!"

Santana clutched her heart. "Say it isn't so, Quinn. How is that even possible?"

"I'm too lazy to come across this desk right now so do me a favor and slug yourself in the arm for me."

"Oh, now it has turned to physical violence? You've changed, Quinn." said Santana trying to contain her laughter.

"You're impossible, Santana"

"And that's why you love me."

"You're lucky I do because I wouldn't put up with your shit otherwise. So, are you going to spill whatever was on your mind when you walked in here?"

"Oh, that. Yeah, I guess." Santana shoulders slumped. "Demi and Nick are going dancing next weekend and she really wants you, me, and Ho-. . . Rachel to go, too."

"And your thoughts on this are?"

"Honestly I don't know. I love spending time with Demi but I'm not sure I'm all jazzed to see that twerp all over her. Plus, if Rachel goes, I'll be like a 5th wheel."

"Ok, first, Rachel can't go next weekend as she will be out of town for her TV shoot. Second, you are sexy as hell when you dance so it might be a good idea for Demi to see that side of you. Might shake her out of her Nick fog if you know what I mean."

Santana pondered that thought. She still thought it was a long shot, but it certainly couldn't hurt to show off what she could do with her body especially since there was a long list of what she liked to call "bi-curious" women that had already succumbed to Santana when she used similar tactics.

Quinn added, "Worse case, the two of us can have some fun. I mean, have you checked out our numbers so far this quarter? Lopez Fabray is making money hand over fist and that is cause enough for celebration. Besides, it's been a while since we have unleased ourselves on the world."

"That's because the world can only handle so much."

Quinn laughed. "True, but I think it's high time we made an appearance so all the little people can bask in all of our glory."

"Well, if you put it that way, I guess we are performing a public service."

"Exactly! So it's a date?"

"I suppose it is. Just try to keep your paws off of me, though. I don't want any baby mama drama."

"No promises, San. You know what you do to me." said Quinn sarcastically.

Santana rolled her eyes. "I know, Quinny. I know." With that, she exited Quinn's office re-energized for the rest of the work day.

* * *

Demi and Santana had spoken and/or texted almost every day leading up to their group date. Demi found her thoughts being pulled between Santana and Nick, but she recognized that she was in a relationship with Nick so she tried to be as "present" as possible with him while still trying to work through how her heart felt about him.

Santana had literally gone through every piece of clothing she owned trying to find the perfect outfit for this evening. She wanted to make "a girl on fire" impression much like Katniss did in the Catching Fire chariot scene. Like Katniss, Santana was a bad ass and she wanted to make damn sure everyone knew that tonight. She finally settled on an extremely tight, very short, low cut red dress that clung to her accentuating all of her best assets. She put on a pair of very high heeled strappy black sandals making her already long legs appear that much longer. Looking at herself in her full length mirror, she was confident that she would turn heads tonight, hoping for one in particular.

Santana heard her cell phone go off. She grabbed it out of her bag and answered it.

"Hey, I'm out front. Are you ready?"

"Yes. Be out in a sec."

Santana went into the kitchen to talk to Morgan before she left.

"Hey Morgan. Not sure when or if I will be back this evening. I may crash over at Quinn's. Madison should be here by 8am to relieve you. If I don't see you before you leave, then I'll see you tomorrow night.

"Sounds good, Mrs. L. By the way, you are looking like a hot MILF tonight." said Morgan grinning.

"Thanks, Morgan. That's the look I was going for." said Santana winking.

"Well, try not to break too many hearts."

"Now where's the fun in that?" With that Santana walked out and got in Quinn's car.

"Muy caliente, Mrs. Lopez. Make sure you don't melt my seat."

Santana smirked. "I can't be held responsible for what all 'this' does to your car." As she said the word 'this,' Santana ran her hands up and down her body showing what all that word encompassed.

Quinn burst out laughing. "Oh, you are on tonight, girl. I can't wait to see how this evening unfolds. I have a feeling it's going to be spectacular."

The women were meeting Demi and Nick at the club. Santana wanted to get there first in order to down a few shots to calm her nerves before having to deal with the reality of Nick. Unfortunately, they drove up to the valet right as Nick was opening the car door for Demi straight ahead of them. Santana instantly felt her heart rate quicken and her stomach twist in knots. Demi looked exceptionally stunning this evening in a tight white sheer button down short sleeve shirt and a short black shirt. Santana needed a drink and fast.

Demi saw Quinn and waved. "Perfect timing!"

Quinn smiled back at Demi and watched her reaction as Santana got out of the car. If Demi's jaw wasn't attached her face it would have hit the pavement. Quinn smirked. _This evening is definitely going to be interesting._ Quinn went around to Santana. "Looks like you have someone's attention. You doing ok?"

"Yeah, nothing that a few shots won't cure."

"Well, Mrs. Lopez, shall we?" She held out her elbow to Santana who quickly hooked her arm through it as they made their way over to Demi and Nick.

Demi couldn't believe how gorgeous Santana looked. Demi felt her body temperature start to rise as she took in the beauty standing before her wearing a dress that left nothing to the imagination. She felt an arm wrap around her waist and kiss pecked on her cheek which brought her out of her daze.

Santana cringed at the sight of Nick kissing Demi. "So, are we ready to go in? I need a drink."

"Sure, follow me." said Nick. He went up and talked to the bouncer who unhooked a velvet rope allowing him and his guests to bypass the long line of people waiting to get in.

The club was already crowded. Nick grabbed Demi's hand and guided her to the VIP area with Quinn and Santana close behind. As Santana passed through the crowd, you would have thought the red sea had parted. There wasn't a single person man or woman who wasn't staring at her.

They picked out a table on the edge of the VIP area in order to have better access to the dance floor. Once settled, Santana turned to Quinn and said, "Bar, now." Turning to Nick and Demi, she said, "You guys need anything?"

"I'm ok for the moment. Hey Nick, I see a couple of folks that I want to say hi to." said Demi.

"I'll come with you." said Nick putting his arm around her waist.

Santana made a bee line to the bar, telling the bartender, "Two tequila shots, one vodka martini and whatever my friend here wants."

"Slow down, Mario, you don't want to be puking your guts out and ruin that sexy dress of yours before the evening has even begun."

"Whatever, Quinn. You and I both know that I can hold my liquor."

"Your funeral."

"Here, make yourself useful and hold this." said Santana placing a lime slice in Quinn's mouth.

Santana licked her hand in the space between her thumb and index finger, pouring salt over the new wetness there. Noticing several eyes on her, she took a long, slow lick making sure to give her audience a show. After she got a large majority of salt on her tongue, she downed both shots back to back. For her finale, she leaned over to Quinn, put her lips around the lime and started to suck. Of course, for Santana it was never enough to stop there so she took it one step further into a hot but short make out session with her best friend. Wiping the corners of her mouth, she scanned the room and was quite confident that the guys in her immediate vicinity now had large boners.

"I can already see where this is heading, San."

"What?" said Santana, holding up a make-shift halo above her head by connecting her index fingers and thumbs together. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She blinked her eyes quickly for good measure.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. Come on, let's head back to our table."

By the time they returned, Demi and Nick were already seated and involved in a conversation. Santana perked up when she heard the beginning of Ariana Grande's song, Break Free. "I love this song, guys. Let's go dance." She practically dragged Quinn to the dance floor. Demi and Nick followed closely behind.

Santana grabbed Demi and Quinn and quickly sandwiched herself between the two. Nick could only sit back and watch, visibly turned on by the grinding and roaming hands happening directly in front of him. Santana had made sure that she was directly behind Demi so not only would she have better access to her body but she would also to be able to limit Demi's friction opportunities. Hoping to work the girl up some, Santana took Demi's arms and raised them above her head. Demi leaned back into Santana and interlocked her hands around Santana's neck. Santana began to lightly graze her fingers down Demi's arms, sides, and thighs. As soon as she reached the edge of her skirt, Santana would start the process over in reverse. She smirked to herself feeling the goose bumps multiplying on Demi's skin with each pass.

Demi closed her eyes and let herself melt into the moment. The way Santana touched her was intoxicating. She could feel a pool of moisture collecting between her legs. Soon she felt a set of lips on her lips. She kissed back hungrily, opening her eyes only to see she had been kissing Nick. Not exactly what she was expecting, but when he put his thigh between her legs she chose not to complain.

Santana was annoyed that someone with dance moves equivalent to a white man's overbite was reaping the benefits of her hard work. She released Demi and turned to face Quinn. Santana focused her attention on Quinn for the remainder of the dance, the two of them operating as a single unit. Their hips swayed seductively in synch in rhythm to the music. Santana pulled Quinn even closer as her hands roamed over her ass. They were well practiced at this act as they had been using it for years to get exactly what they wanted.

Demi felt the sudden loss of heat behind her. She was curious where Santana went to, so she switched positions so her backside was grinding on Nick's front. She could feel his growing member, but she was not interested in that at the moment. Instead, her focus was on Santana and Quinn who were completely intertwined with one another. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought they were together. Whatever they were, it was definitely sex personified which only exacerbated the problem between her legs.

The next song started and Santana motioned to everyone that she was ready for a drink. Demi was ready for a cold shower. Over the next several hours the group got a serious workout as the DJ was spinning up songs that motivated them to be out on the dance floor. Demi especially had fun with Cher Lloyd's I Wish singing most of the song directly to Nick. It was one of her favorite songs sung by one of her close friends. Santana thought it was hot watching Demi lip sync the song, but as she observed the scene, she was miffed how Nick was even in the picture. She was so out of his league. He was just a boring yuppie with very little of interest to add to the mix. To get her mind off Nick, she downed a few more shots. She was now walking that fine line between tipsy and drunk. Quinn had started to get her to drink water between each round to try to slow down the effects of the alcohol knowing that Auntie Snix could rear her ugly head if she didn't. Thankfully, the amount of dancing they were doing was also helping to work the alcohol out of her system.

In a rare break between songs, the group was gathered at their table idly chit chatting. Just as Nick left to go get the next round of drinks for the girls, a striking woman walked up to Santana.

"Hey there, beautiful. Mind if I sit down?"

Demi's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, we don't have an extra chair, so I guess you can't."

The girl quipped back saying, "No problem, I don't need one . . ." as she spun Santana's chair around and promptly sat in her lap. Santana was about to come back with a snarky remark, but she found herself briefly speechless as took a moment to take in the redhead's body. She was definitely attractive – long auburn colored hair, emerald green eyes, a nice rack, firm ass, not to mention her clothes just barely covered the necessities.

"Like what you see?" said the redhead.

Santana composed herself and put her game face on firing back with, "I could ask the same question of you."

"Most definitely – from the moment your fine ass walked into the club."

Santana thought to herself. _Oh, this girl is good_. Santana was used to being the assertive one but it was definitely a turn on when a girl knew what she wanted and had no problems expressing it.

The redhead continued, "Would you like to dance?" Not getting an immediate answer from Santana, she added, "Listen, love, I won't bite . . . unless you want me to, that is."

Santana put her hand out. "Santana"

"Angel, but don't let the name fool you." As these words rolled off her tongue, she grabbed Santana's extended hand and turned it palm side up placing a soft sensual kiss square in the middle of it.

"Oh, I assure you, I won't."

Angel pulled her out onto the dance floor where another one of one of Santana's favorites was playing: Clean Bandit's - Heart on Fire.

Demi was incredulous at the exchange that just happened. She mockingly mimicked the dialogue under breath, "I won't bite unless you want me to. Don't let my name fool you. Whatever."

Quinn arched an eyebrow, "What did you say?"

"Huh? What? Oh, nothing."

"That's interesting because it sure didn't sound like nothing."

"Seriously, Quinn, it was nothing." said Demi getting annoyed with the conversation.

"If I didn't know better, I would say you were jealous."

"Wait . . . What? Me . . .? Why would I be jealous? I'm dating Nick for god sakes. Santana can do whatever she wants to. She is a grown woman after all. I just didn't think _'that'_ would be her type."

"Right. She's confident, witty, and beautiful. I can totally see how you would think that. I mean, what's there to like?"

Demi realized how stupid she sounded. She knew what she wanted to say, but it wasn't something she could admit to Quinn as she would have to come to terms with the validity of it first.

"I just think she deserves better than some random slut."

"Oh? Really? Do you have someone in mind?"

"I-I-I . . ." At that precise moment, Nick walked up with drinks for everyone. Demi breathed a sigh of relief. As he handed Demi her club soda, she grabbed his hand. "I want to dance."

"Oh, ok."

Demi might as well have beat Nick over the head and dragged him caveman style to the dance floor. She positioned herself so she could play voyeur to what was happening with Santana and the redhead. The scene that was unfolding lit a fire inside her.

Angel was all over Santana. She had pulled Santana's backside to her front and had one of her arms draped around Santana's mid-section. Her hand was pulling Santana's hair aside exposing her tan neck line. Before Santana new it, Angel was kissing the bare skin before her. With alcohol coursing through her veins, Santana hardly resisted. Seizing her opportunity, Angel turned Santana around and roughly grabbed her hair while more aggressively starting to suck on her neck.

Demi was seething. It was taking every ounce of self-control that she had not to march up to the redhead and bitch slap her into tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Santana was liking where this was headed and promptly asked, "Two questions. Do you live near here and did you drive?"

"Yes and yes."

"Let's go."

Santana waved bye to Nick and Demi. She stopped by and told Quinn that she was headed out and that she would catch up with her tomorrow. Quinn hugged her and whispered, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Santana whispered back, "That's awfully limiting, don't you think?"

"Har, har"

"Love you Quinny. I'll call you tomorrow."

Right after Angel and Santana left, Demi and Nick walked up. Demi was visibly upset.

"You ok, Demi?" asked Quinn arching one eyebrow.

"What? Yeah. I think I'm just tired. Are you ready to head out?"

"Yeah. I'm exhausted after all of that dancing." said Quinn.

The threesome made their way out of the club. Demi and Nick said good bye to Quinn and headed back to Demi's. Demi was glad to be home partially because she needed to change out of her soaked panties. She threw on a t-shirt and a clean pair of underwear and crawled into bed next to Nick. Nick started kissing Demi working his hands slowly down her body.

"Wait, Wait, Nick - Stop. . . I'm sorry. I just can't do this tonight." Demi rolled over and pulled the covers up right below her chin. She closed her eyes in an effort to process everything going on inside her head and her heart as they were definitely not on the same page.

* * *

**A/N:** Uh oh . . . Demi's starting to figure out things, but is she too late?

If you haven't heard the songs I used for the club scene, you must take a listen to them. They're all on my current playlist, right now.

Two chapters for you today! Hope you enjoyed! :-)

(Constructive or Glowing) Feedback always appreciated . . .


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Nick stared at the back of Demi's head uncertain as to what just happened. "Did I hurt you or make you mad in some way? Do you want me to leave?" At the end of the day, Nick loved Demi and it would have killed him to know that he was the cause of whatever was troubling her.

Demi rolled over facing him. She saw the pain in his eyes and immediately felt bad for what she had said previously or rather how she said it. She knew Nick was the victim in all of this and she needed to figure out things soon so she'd either be fully into this relationship or completely out.

Demi touched Nick's cheek and pulled him in a quick kiss. "No, I'm sorry. You didn't do anything. I know it's cliché to say it's me and not you, but it's true. I just have a lot on my mind right now. I don't want you to leave. Can you just hold me tonight?"

"Sure. I can do whatever you need me to. I'm here if you want to talk as well." She could see the worry in his eyes as he said this.

"Thanks. I'm just not ready to talk about anything yet."

Nick scooted closer to Demi. As she turned back around away from him, he wrapped one of his arms around her waist and brought her close. "Ok. I'm not going anywhere. You tell me when you are ready." He kissed the back of her head and closed his eyes. He wasn't stupid; he saw how she looked at Santana this evening, but he hoped and prayed that it was just a platonic relationship between those two. He didn't want to lose Demi, but he also knew that he wanted her to be happy and if she couldn't be truly happy with him, then he would step back as much as it would crush him to do so.

Demi felt hot tears begin to stream down her face. She tried to contain her crying. She knew if Nick realized, he would be even more concerned than he already was. Tonight had really rocked her world. She was just so conflicted, and it had all caught her by surprise. Never in a million years had she expected to feel what she felt. Quinn was right. She was jealous and she had no right to be. The question was why? Was she jealous because she was afraid that Angel would impede her growing friendship with Santana or was it more than that? Based on her panties, she had an inkling of the answer; however, Demi was in unfamiliar territory here. She had never really been with a girl. Sure, she had messed around on several occasions but it was always after she had been drinking, and she always stopped before it got too far along. In the end, it probably didn't matter. Santana was now with Angel. She had never been a home wrecker before and she wasn't about to start now, no matter how she felt about Angel.

* * *

Santana eyes slowly fluttered opened. She shut them immediately as the brightness of the sun streaming in through the sheer curtains in the bedroom made her tear up. Santana felt a dull throbbing in her head - not nearly as much as she had expected given the amount she drank last night. As she tried to will her eyes to open again, her nose started to smell something delicious which quickly sent word to her stomach eliciting a loud grumble. Keeping her eyes closed, she pushed up to a sitting position. She pointed her head down and rubbed her temples, coaxing her eyes open. She surveyed the room and tried to piece together the evening before. A smirk crossed her face as the memories came rushing back. Beside the bed was a glass of water and two Tylenol. Maybe Angel was really a godsend. Santana grabbed the two pills and washed them down with the icy cold liquid. She immediately regretted her actions, grimacing as brain freeze momentarily overtook her.

Laid out on the bed was a short, silky black robe. She put it on and followed the scent aware that her hunger was growing by the second.

Walking into the kitchen, she was greeted by Angel. "Good morning, beautiful, or should I say afternoon?" she said handing Santana a cup of coffee.

Santana pulled a bar stool out and sat down. "Thanks. What time is it?"

"About 1 'o'clock. I was afraid you might have died from exhaustion." said Angel smirking.

Santana chuckled observing Angel's morning attire of a white oxford long sleeve shirt unbuttoned to her navel showing off much more than should be legal. "You were pretty insatiable last night, but nothing I couldn't handle. So, what is it that I'm smelling?"

"Pumpkin Spice muffins. Would you like to try one?"

"Uh, based on last night, I probably need at least five to re-fuel, especially if they taste as good as they smell."

Angel smiled as she reached for a plate on one of the upper shelves of the kitchen cabinet, showing off her lacy cream colored boy shorts in the process. She placed two muffins on the plate and slid it over to Santana. "How about you start with these? There's more if you want them."

Santana hungrily bit into the first one. "Oh my god, these are fantastic and they are still warm. Did you make them from scratch?"

"Of course. For something this good, you have to. It's actually my grandmother's recipe."

"You have got to share that recipe with me." said Santana as she inhaled the second one like she had never eaten in her life.

"No can do. I'd have to kill you first."

"Do whatever you need to do. I have to have this recipe." As she leaned over to put a third muffin on her plate, she grabbed one of the collars of Angel's shirt, bringing her in for a kiss catching a glimpse of one of her pink erect nipples. "I can't believe you cook, too."

"I bake . . . I reserve my cooking for the bedroom . . . but if you consider last night, I guess I also cook in the shower, the living room, on that chair, on that sofa, that rug . . ."

Santana laughed and cut her off. "Yeah, I was there, remember?"

"Hard to forget. It's been awhile since someone was able to keep up."

Santana got up and walked over to Angel. As she stood in front of her, she began to undo the remaining buttons on her shirt sliding it off her shoulders saying, "Oh, I think you have met your match in that department." Santana began to place light kisses right behind Angel's ear, whispering, "I think it's time to confirm my suspicions that you are indeed an excellent cook in the kitchen."

* * *

Santana got home later that evening in time to read to and tuck in the kids. She felt guilty that she hadn't seen them all day, but she had learned over the last few years that it was ok to take time for herself sometimes. After the kids were in bed, Santana laid down on one of the sofas. Truth be told, she was exhausted. She held her own last night and today, but she definitely felt her age. She couldn't keep going like she used to when she was in her twenties. Part of it was the fact that she had three kids and a full time, demanding job. She was worn out most days, but always seem to find the energy to press on.

She knew Quinn would be anxious to hear all the details of her escapade with Angel, so she resolved herself to call her before sleep overcame her.

"Took you long enough."

"Hello to you, too."

"Well? Spill!"

Santana chuckled and then winced. Her whole body ached. She tried to her limit emotions for the remainder of the call to prevent any further pain from ripping through her body as she filled Quinn in on all the details of the last 24 hours.

"Well, it sounds like no stone was left unturned." said Quinn laughing. "No wonder your body is a wreck. You do realize that you are old, now, right?"

"Trust me, I'm well aware it. My body is literally screaming this fact to me."

"So, what do you think of her? You like her?"

"She's a good fuck; that's for sure. She can get me off so I don't have to pull into the self-service lane, if you know what I mean."

"Jesus, Santana, you are such a guy sometimes. Don't you want more than that? You know, settle down with a wife, get a dog, and maybe add to your family."

"I doubt very seriously that will ever happen. I thought I had that with Brittany and then look what transpired. Even if I wanted one, I'm very doubtful that Angel would be wife material. Besides, I'm very cognizant that Angel is a player. So, for now, I'm treating this for what it is: A fuck. A great fuck, albeit, but a fuck nonetheless."

"Who says Angel is the one who has to be your wife? I had someone else in mind for you."

"Really, Quinn? Who would that be?" said Santana sarcastically.

"Demi. She obviously likes you. That was very apparent last night."

"Well, even if that was true. She has made her choice. She is dating Nick. End of story."

"Or, it's the beginning of one. Santana, use your Mexican third eye here. You'll see I'm right."

"Quinn, it doesn't matter. As I said before, she is still with Nick. No way, no how does Santana Lopez ever play mistress or 3rd wheel. Demi and I are friends, nothing more."

"Care to make a friendly wager on that?"

Santana's interest was now peaked. "What did you have in mind, Q?"

"Winner gets one wish from the loser."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Oh, Quinn, I almost feel sorry for you. Let's talk terms."

"The bet is that you and Demi will be a couple in 12 months or less."

"Ha! This is going to be like taking candy from a baby. You have yourself a bet, Quinn. I'm going to start thinking now as to what you will be doing when you lose. I have a whole year to figure out exactly how I will torment you. Last chance to bail."

"No way, I'm bailing. It's just a matter of time until you and Demi happen."

"Dream on, Quinny. Maybe if you click your heels three times, you'll land yourself back in Kansas, too."

"I'm not heading back until I talk to the wizard about getting a heart for you."

"Ha, ha. I hear he is all out of those."

"Oh no, he has them back in stock. He just got a huge shipment in from Amazon."

Santana laughed out loud which caused her to grimace once again. She was very happy she wasn't drinking anything at the time because it probably would have come out her nose, only adding to the pain she felt.

"Well, as much as I could go on all evening with this back and forth banter, I have got to get some sleep."

"Ok, San, sleep well. I'm glad you got laid. It definitely makes you less grumpy."

"I love you, too, Quinn. Night"

"Night, San"

Santana hung up and headed to her bedroom. As she crawled into bed, she envisioned her and Demi as a couple and couldn't help the smile that crept across her face.

* * *

**A/N:** Demi and Santana just can't get their timing right! So frustrating!

Thanks so much for the continued positive feedback. It's extremely encouraging!

Note that I also want to continue to improve as a writer so I have a few questions:

1. Is there anything that I should be doing differently in terms of phrasing, transitions, flow, storyline, etc. I'm looking for anything constructive here.

2. For all you writers out there – do you ever write scenes in advance of where you are with your story? If so, do you have a clear path in your mind as to how you will get to that part? If you don't have clear path, how often do you have to re-work the scene so it fits with the storyline when you get to it?

One final point before I go . . . Can I just say how humbled I am to see not only the sheer number of reads this story is getting, but also the diversity of where all of you reside. Nothing like the internet to bring this world together. Peace and love to all of you, peace and love!


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Santana's and Demi's agendas had been quite busy over the last week or so. During this period, they mainly texted back and forth because their schedules just didn't seem to line up. Demi wrestled with her conscience with what to do about San. Truth be told, she missed Santana and wanted to see and talk to her, but she was scared, scared of the feelings she was starting to come to terms with, scared of what she might say or do to make her feel like even more of an idiot than she already did. San on the other hand, still had a problem with Nick. Demi deserved someone that was truly her equal in every way and Santana was convinced that Nick was not that person. She wanted to tell Demi the obvious but thought differently of it, choosing not to butt in for once in her life.

By the time the end of the week rolled around, San and Demi were growing anxious from not seeing each other live and in person. It was Demi who made the first move inviting Santana for coffee at their regular hang out place. Santana had quickly agreed as she missed Demi more than she hated Nick.

* * *

There was an awkward silence between Demi and San as they worked to get re-acquainted with one another, both bothered by the other's current flame.

"Sooooo, how is . . . uh . . . what's her name again? Audra? Amy?" said Demi feigning ignorance of the name she would not soon forget. She wished she could have come up with better, more caustic names to throw out that started with the letter "A", but alas her wit had failed her.

"It's Angel" said Santana narrowing her eyes a bit trying to figure out if it was an honest mistake on Demi's behalf or if there was something more there.

"Oh yeah, Angel. That's right." Demi attempted to contain the sarcasm dripping from her mouth as that name rolled off her tongue. "What's up with you two?"

Santana paused to reflect on Demi's question, trying to decided how much to share. Thinking it was best to hold her cards to her vest for now, she answered with a vague statement. "Well, hmmm. We're good, I think."

Demi's brain immediately went into overdrive trying to analyze what Santana had just said. Obviously Santana and Angel were doing well, and why not? They were both attractive women who seemed well matched based on what she had seen at the club the other night. But, Demi felt some glimmer of hope in Santana's last two words, "I think." Maybe it wasn't all puppy dogs and rainbows like she assumed. Demi averted her eyes downward to the table and began using her fingertips to play with the napkin in front of her. There was uncomfortable silence between the two women each not knowing what to say next. Finally, Demi raised her eyes slowly, drinking in Santana's body as she did. She was truly stunning, yet something seemed off today. She couldn't put her finger on it right away until her gaze stopped at Santana's eyes. There were new dark circles under them. Demi broke the silence stating the obvious, "San, you look really tired. Are you ok?"

In all honesty, Santana was not ok. She was dead tired. Angel had her going at a pace that would have put most people her age in the hospital or worse, in the dirt. But, she was not most people, she was Santana Fucking Lopez, resident bad ass with a stubborn streak a mile long. She was not prepared to tell anyone, other than Quinn, that maybe, just maybe, Angel was more than she could handle. At this point, she could probably count on two hands the amount of hours of sleep she had had that week and if not for the nectar of the Gods known as coffee, she would have probably been in a never-ending sleep coma by now.

"Me? Oh, nah, I'm fine. I've just been busy, ya know." Santana shifted her weight attempting to find a more comfortable sitting position. She held back a grimace as pain seared through muscles she had no idea she even had. Thankfully, she had gotten to the coffee shop before Demi on purpose so she could get settled in and not make it obvious that there was not enough ibuprofen in the world to put a dent in the soreness her body was feeling. At this point, she was also beginning to worry if enough caffeine existed in the world to keep her awake if she continued at her current rate.

Santana's phone buzzed with a message from Angel.

A: I have some surprises n store 4 2night. When will I see u?

Pure terror took residence on Santana's face. She quickly turned her phone face side down so the message wasn't taunting her. She would deal with Angel later.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, just Angel."

"Do you need to call her or return the text? It's fine if you do." said Demi trying to convey her statement nonchalantly but feared it came off with more of an annoyance tone.

"No, no. It's fine. I'll call her back later. I'm here to catch up with you. Now, fill me on everything I have missed since I saw you last." said Santana grinning while reaching out to squeeze one of Demi's hands.

Just that simple touch from Santana sent shockwaves through Demi. She worked hard to compose herself so she could return a semi-coherent answer to Santana's question.

"Well, I'm working on flushing out the details of my upcoming tour with my team. We are changing things up to see what's gonna work and what's not. In my downtime, I'm doing some writing for my next album. My creative juices are flowing right now, and I'm really excited to get those ideas down on paper."

"That's great, Demi. Sounds like everything is falling into place for you." A vision of Demi in concert drifted into Santana's rather active imagination. She had never seen her live, but thanks to Jordy she had seen enough YouTube videos clips of her previous shows to know that an in person concert would be even more impressive. Thinking of Demi like that reminded Santana of her bet with Quinn. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to lose for once in her life.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. I would say so." _NOT_ was the first word that came to mind. She was having such a hard time coming to terms with Santana dating someone, especially a certain someone name Angel. It was literally consuming all of her thoughts. She kind of liked having Santana to herself and now she had to share, something she was never very good at, so no, things were not falling in place how she wanted. She knew she was being selfish in her thoughts, but frankly she didn't care.

Demi and Santana talked quite a bit more, closing down Urban Java. It wasn't as comfortable as it had been in the past but they were both able to loosen up a little while treading lightly or avoiding all together conversations around their current relationships. Santana made an excuse that she had to send off one quick work email before she left and told Demi to go on without her. Demi got up and came to San's side of the table to give her a hug. Santana breathed in deeply and tried not to cry out in pain as Demi gave her a tight squeeze. She felt her eyes welling up but held back the tears. As Santana watched Demi walk out, she couldn't help feeling a little sad that she was no longer here with her. There was no doubt that she enjoyed Demi's company no matter how uncomfortable the circumstances. She'd take that over nothing at all.

Santana powered down her laptop and picked up her phone to text Angel.

S: Hey A. Raincheck on tonight. Feeling under the weather . . . ttyl

A: I have ways to make you feel better . . .

A line like that would have normally elicited some sort of sexual retort from Santana but she was definitely off her game. Santana sighed and typed the only thing she could come up with.

S: I have no doubt. Just not tonight . . .

If Angel replied, Santana didn't see it as she turned off her phone and started the long trek to her car.

* * *

Demi and Nick were fighting more and more frequently now. Nick was trying to be patience with her as she figured out things, but a man has needs and she was definitely frustrating more than she was fulfilling them. The fact that they were arguing so much so early on in their relationship was beginning to wear on Demi. The only reason she had not broken up with him is that she knew relationships were work and you don't just run away if you encounter some bumps in the road. However, she was beginning to have glimpses of an impending mountain up ahead that was going to make it near impossible to continue down her current path, but that was still a little ways away so it's existence hadn't been truly confirmed yet.

* * *

The charity event was fast approaching - just a few more weeks, until the big show. Santana's friends and former Glee Club members were slowly starting to trickle in town so the group could practice their various numbers. Between rehearsals and work, Santana had very little time for Angel which was not acceptable to the redhead. Angel was very used to getting her way, and when she didn't she turned into to a person similar to Glenn Close in _Fatal Attraction_. _"I'm not going to be ignored, Dan." _is a line that came to mind to Santana. Thankfully, she had no pet bunnies but all humor aside, she was starting to get concerned that this might escalate into something more serious.

* * *

With the show now less than a week away, Santana, Quinn, and their team were refining and finalizing the remaining details. They were poised to make a killing and break their all-time fundraising record for this event. There were always last minute issues that came up that were handled in stride, but Santana was not prepared for the phone call she received today. As it turned out, one of the performer's mother unexpectedly past away and she was headed out to be with her family and begin to take care of the funeral details. There was no way that she would be back in time to be part of the performance. In any other scenario, Santana would have just pulled the act, but she was in the first two opening group acts and they had been practicing for months to be sure they came off without a hitch. Santana panicked trying to figure out what to do. She either needed to find a replacement quickly or songs would need to be changed and everything would need to be re-worked or removed all together.

Santana dialed Quinn to update her and get her opinion on what they should do.

"Crap, San. Those are some of the best numbers in the show."

"I know, I know. Think, Quinn, think. What are we going to do?"

There was a long pause on the phone as both girls tried to figure out a solution to their predicament.

"I've got it!" said Quinn.

"What? What? Spill it"

"Demi!"

"Demi?"

"Yes, Demi. She is already coming to the show, right?"

"Yeah, she's supposed to be."

"She does this kind of thing for a living. If anyone can learn the choreography and songs before Saturday, she can."

"Quinn, it's Wednesday and I'm not aware of her schedule this week to know if she even has time to attempt to take this on."

"So, call her already and find out."

"Ok. Will do."

"Call or text me back. Don't let her say 'No,' San."

"I'm gonna be my regular charming self, so how can she?"

"Ha! Good luck with that. I wasn't aware that you had a 'charming self' side." said Quinn smirking into her phone.

"Whatever, Quinn. Let me go so I can call her."

"Bye, San. You know I love ya." said Quinn laughing.

"Oh yeah, that's totally apparent."

Santana hung up and scrolled through her address book to find Demi's number. As the phone was ringing, Santana silently prayed that Demi would be her saving grace.

"Hey, San!"

"Hey, Demi."

"What a nice surprise to hear from you."

Santana smiled hearing those words from Demi. God, what was it about this woman that just by stringing a few simple words together she was able to make Santana's whole being respond. She tried to calm the butterflies and focus on the task at hand.

"I aim to please." said Santana laughing nervously. "Listen, I have a huge favor to ask and you can absolutely say no if you can't or don't want to help."

"San, you know I will always help if I can."

Santana's heart quickened its pace when she heard that. She had never met a more selfless, amazingly giving person in her life and it was really starting to have an effect on her. She had tried to ignore her feelings previously, but with her heart now beating out of her chest that was hardly possible. Regardless, she could do nothing to satisfy her growing desires for one particular singer, so she quickly asked Demi the most pressing question of the day.

"Demi, we are really in a bind and I hope you can pull off a miracle for us." Santana quickly filled in Demi on the situation and awaited her response.

"Let me check my schedule. Hold on." Demi opened her calendar and looked at her agenda for the next several days. Most everything could be re-scheduled until after the show but there were a few events that she couldn't get out of. Demi was used to learning choreography quickly and she obviously sung for a living so no problem there. "San, I think I can make this work. I just need to re-arrange a few things. I should be able to start as soon as 3pm this afternoon."

"Oh. My. God. Demi, you are a godsend!" The way Santana's body responded to just this brief conversation with Demi, she knew she meant it outside the current context, too.

Demi laughed, "I don't know about all that . . ."

"Trust me, no doubt about it. Santana Lopez knows all. Don't even try to argue; it will be your undoing."

Demi still laughing, "Ok . . . Ok . . . that's the last thing I want to happen."

"Smart girl. Now, I'm going to call Mike and have him meet you at the auditorium to work with you on all the dance steps. I'll send you the words for both songs and your parts. Lastly, I will get a few folks from our team to bring your costume over today and figure out if any adjustments need to be made."

"Well, alrighty, sounds like you have this all under control. I gotta run so I can get everything finished up before 3pm. Bye, San."

"Demi?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks. I mean . . . truly, from the bottom of my heart, thanks."

"It's my pleasure, San. This is a great cause and I'm honored to be able to help out in whatever capacity I can."

Santana's heart was now skipping beats. She chuckled as she shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to re-regulate her body. _No chance of that as long as I'm talking to Demi._

"Thanks, Demi. That means a lot. Talk to you soon."

After Santana hung up, she texted Quinn.

S: Demi said she would help. She is rearranging her schedule now to make it work.

Q: Great news! And San?

S: Yes?

Q: I'm so winning our bet. That is all . . .

Santana smirked. She was certain now that she would be just fine with that outcome.

* * *

**A/N:** Was struggling a bit with this chapter so a HUGE thank you to one of my favorite FF friends, **clover27**, for her sage counsel in helping get this one out the door and also for the inspiration for the following line . . .

_"Santana silently prayed that Demi would be her saving grace."_

Also big shout out to **sscajun** for some wordsmithing advice. You know I love ya to the moon and back! :-)

Lastly, I know there are some readers out there getting a little frustrated with the lack of "action" between/ultimate hook up of Demi and Santana in this story. I promise it's getting closer and I'd like to think at least some the upcoming scenes of this nature will be very original so hope you pop a libation, grab a chair, and sit a spell. The bar is not closing any time soon.

In the event that you need a fix to tide you over, check out future bestselling author **clover27**'s oneshots. Betcha can't read just one. ;-)

**_-DG0820_**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Demi worked with Mike Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning to learn her parts of the songs and the choreography. Thankfully, this was her profession so it came quite easily and by Thursday afternoon she had everything down.

Santana picked her up that evening to head back to the auditorium as all the acts were meeting to run through each performance and do any final tweaking of the numbers. Demi was slightly nervous because this would be her first opportunity to work with the group she was performing with. They had been practicing for months so they had an obvious advantage.

When Santana and Demi arrived at the auditorium, Santana took Demi around to meet everyone. One familiar blonde came walking up with a brunette beauty on her arm and gave her a big hug.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Demi! You're the only one who could have pulled this off."

Demi smiled, "Hey Quinn! It's really no problem at all. I'm happy to help and just glad that it worked out that I could." Demi turned her gaze toward Rachel and said, "So, who do you have here?"

Rachel bounced up and down clapping her hands and squealing. When she had calmed down a bit, she extended her hand. "Rachel Berry. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Lovato. I'm a huuuuuuge fan of your work. You're A-MAZ-ING!" Rachel was beside herself with excitement. She had been begging Quinn to talk to Santana to arrange some sort of outing with the singer; however, knowing her wife's infatuation and Santana's feelings towards Demi, Quinn thought a get together was best avoided until Santana's friendship or whatever it was solidified more.

Demi chuckled shaking Rachel's, "It's nice to meet you, Rachel, but you can call me Demi."

"Demi. Right! Got it! Have I mentioned that I'm a huge fan? I have all of your albums and I'm just sooooo excited to be working with you."

Santana rolled her eyes and turned to Quinn and gave her an irritated look of "get your girl already." Quinn returned Santana's look with a smile, shrug, and a "oops" expression. Santana frowned letting Quinn know with just her eyes that her response was unacceptable. Realizing that Quinn was not going to, Santana took control of the situation.

"Listen, Pippi Longstocking, Demi has much better things to do than listen to your diarrhea of the mouth. We just have two days to practice to get everything perfect so let's go already. Oh, and try not to screw things up by slipping in a puddle of your own drool when we are up on stage. Capish?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, more than used to Santana's cutting remarks at this point in her life. Her wife, however, was not happy with what had just unfolded. She elbowed Santana in the arm and gave her a "watch it" stare. Santana rubbed up and down on her arm where Quinn had made contact as she looked at Quinn innocently saying, "What?"

"You know what, Santana. Don't start because you know I'll finish it."

"You wish, Fabray."

"Try me, San."

Seeing that Quinn seemed fairly serious in her conviction, Santana dropped it and instead grabbed Demi's hand pulling her toward the stage. Demi had found the whole exchange rather humorous. It was obvious they were all tight friends even if Santana didn't freely admit it.

Demi's attention quickly turned to the hand interlocked with her hand. She could feel perspiration starting to gather on her palm, and hoped that Santana wouldn't take notice of this. Thankfully, Santana pulled her along at a fast clip, so she was able to get her hand back quickly enough and wipe the evidence off on her jeans.

Most everyone in the show was aware that Demi was filling in on short notice so they were gracious enough to allow her to practice each of her songs two or three times with her group. Santana was impressed with how quickly Demi had learned the songs and dance moves. It didn't take long for things to just click and by the second run through it looked like Demi had been practicing with them since day one. Santana breathed a sigh of relief knowing these numbers were coming together and there would be no need to remove them and shuffle others around. There were still details to tend to but at least this very large one was handled.

When they weren't on stage practicing, Demi, Santana, Quinn, and Rachel were chatting, teasing, and generally having fun with one another. Demi really loved Santana's high school friends that she had met so far. She wondered what it would have been like growing up with the lot of them, no doubt nonstop entertainment.

After all the acts had run through their performances, Quinn and Santana gave some general announcements to the group, including the times and the plan for dress rehearsal the following day. Demi was a little bummed that the night was drawing to a close as she was enjoying everyone's company, especially one particular latina bombshell. On the ride home, she found herself stealing glances at Santana. She was a natural beauty. Santana could have dressed in a garbage bag and looked stunning. On top of that she was strong, athletic, sarcastic, talented, amazing, caring, etc. Demi could have gone on forever. They had definitely broken the mold with Santana.

When they arrived back at Demi's, she invited Santana in for coffee. As much as Santana wanted to, she declined since she still needed to get a few presentations together for her Friday meetings. Demi tried to hide her disappointment and bid adieu to Santana, heading inside after watching her drive off.

Demi flopped down on the couch a little depressed that she was alone. While tonight had been great, she found herself craving the opportunity to spend more time with Santana in whatever capacity that was. This was unfamiliar territory for her, because normally it was quite the opposite.

Demi was cognizant that sleep was a distant future for her. Being crazy busy always energized her so she knew she would be up for a while. Deciding to take advantage of the extra hours, she grabbed her notebook and guitar to begin working on ideas for some new songs that were running around in her head.

* * *

Dress rehearsal the next date went fairly smooth. Santana and the kids' act was schedule towards the middle of the show, but they were able to practice first so Morgan could take them home and get them in bed before it got too late. The kids were all over Demi at rehearsal which she loved. She only hoped that when she had kids one day that they would be just as cute and endearing as Santana's. A girl can dream, ya know.

When Quinn and Santana were satisfied that all the details had been worked out, they gathered the group together one last time for a pep talk reminding them to keep the ultimate purpose of the whole event in mind: helping kids in need. As long as everyone remembered this one simple fact, they would be destined for greatness.

Demi was sad knowing that all the chaos was coming to an end and that she would not be able to spend as much quality time with Santana after Saturday. Sure, they would see each other at their typical outings of coffee and dinner, but Demi wanted more. She wondered if Santana felt the same way. It wasn't obvious to her if she did, but Demi recognized that Santana's mind was 99% on the show so she was betting the feeling wasn't mutual – at least not right now.

Santana once again dropped Demi off at her condo. Demi saw how tired Santana looked, realizing what a toll this was taking on her. She thought it was best if Santana got home assuming she could drive safely in order to get some rest.

"San, you look really tired. Are you ok to drive?"

Santana yawned and stretched as she said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing eight hours of sleep won't cure."

Demi was skeptical but knew an argument would be pointless. "Can you do me a favor and text me when you get home so I know you're safe?"

"Yes, mom." said Santana smirking.

Demi rolled her eyes and said, "Believe it or not Santana Lopez, I care about you. It would kill me if something happened to you."

Santana smiled. "You like me. You really, really like me."

"Alright Sally Field, that's enough. Text me when you get home. That's a statement not a question in case you were wondering."

Santana chuckled. "How could I deny you anything? I promise will text you, your highness."

"Har har. I expect to hear from you in no more than 20 minutes. If I don't, I'm calling the cavalry."

"Roger that, Lovato."

Demi rolled her eyes as she watched Santana drive off. She went into her condo and like last night she was not even close to being able to fall asleep, still invigorated by the rush of today's rehearsal. The past several days had reminded her of the chaos of being on tour, something she relished. Unlike most people, Demi thrived on being overly busy having no problem kicking it into over gear to create a spectacular experienced for her beloved Lovatics.

Nineteen minutes later, Demi received a text. It was just like Santana to skate in under the wire for that dramatic effect.

S: I'm home safely, mom. You can stop worrying now . . . ;-)

Demi smiled before writing out a quick reply. She was doubtful that she would be able to control her worrying or any other feelings for that matter that she had towards Santana.

Since last night had been productive writing-wise, Demi decided to see what tonight held in that respect. Grabbing her notebook, she started scribbling down thoughts and phrases that came to her. It was times like these that she just got into a zone, barely conscious of what was happening. Ideas were coming out fast and furious and just trying to keep up with her mind was challenging. From there, she started arranging items into the beginnings of cohesive lyrics. Simultaneously, she was hearing some melodies in her head so she quickly grabbed her guitar and started playing chords as she refined the phrasing more. Once she was satisfied with her progress, she put her notebook on the coffee table and scooted to the edge of the couch so she could see what she had written better. Taking a deep breath to center herself, she began singing and playing what she had so far to see how it sounded as a whole:

My state of mind  
Has finally got the best of me  
I need you next to me

I'll try to find  
A way that I can get to you  
Just wanna get to you

The world I see is perfect now  
You're all around  
With you, I can breathe

**Chorus:**

Until you're mine, I have to find  
A way to fill this hole inside

I've got to fight  
Without you here by my side

Until you're mine, not gonna be  
Even close to complete  
I won't rest until you're mine  
Mine

Alone inside  
I can only hear your voice  
Ringing through the noise

I can't find my mind  
Keeps on coming back to you  
Always back to you

Wanted something out of reach  
It's killing me, you're all I see

**Chorus**

Just stop wondering  
If we were meant to be  
Forget about fate  
Just hold me

I'm ready to begin  
The waiting has to end

Right now, today  
I've got to find a way, yeah . . .

Demi knew the song wasn't complete just yet but it was close. As she stared at words on the page, the reality of what she had written and more importantly who she had written it about sunk in. In that moment, it was clear to her what she needed to do. She nervously picked up her phone and started typing out a text. As she hit the send button, she could feel her heart starting to pump faster.

D: Hey, u still awake?

Demi waited anxiously for a reply. Seeing the sign on her phone that the other person was typing a message, her heart started beating even faster.

_Yes. Was going 2 head 2 bed shortly. I'm exhausted._

D: Oh . . . I really need 2 talk 2 u. Any possibility that I could come over, like now?

_Sure. Are you ok?_

D: More than ok.

_You want to give me a hint of the topic?_

D: I'll tell u when I get there. It's just not a text conversation. . . I'll b there n 20 . . .

_K_

Demi took a deep breath and went to find her car keys. She was uncertain as to how this discussion was going to go, but she knew she needed to have it now before she chickened out.

* * *

**A/N:** I was amiss in not including one more shout out in my last chapter. Wanted to thank ilovemycandy for her insights into the aspects of writing. As part of friendly banter "puppies, unicorns, and rainbows" came up which I wanted to work into the story. I edited slightly to something I actually say in my everyday life (at work quite a bit - lol). :-) So, thanks much, ilovemycandy! Keep doing whatcha do!

Obviously the song, "Until Your Mine," from this chapter is Demi's – not mine. Major props to her for it - it's a keeper!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Word leaked that Demi was going to make an appearance at the "So Last Century" Charity show; so not surprisingly, the remaining tickets were snatched up quickly by fellow Lovatics. Santana and Quinn were both elated that this event was sold out and poised to shatter their all-time record of funds raised for the Make A Wish Foundation.

Quinn rode with Santana to the auditorium. As they entered, Santana assessed the scene around her and visualized what it would be like in a few hours as a packed house. The other performers were slowly trickling in around them, heading back to the dressing rooms for makeup, hair, and wardrobe. Santana continued to stand by the entrance as a wave of nervous energy overcame her. Thinking back, Nationals her senior year was the last time she had appeared in front of such a large crowd. Santana's daydreaming was abruptly interrupted as an unknown girl jumped into her arms hugging her tightly. The smell of her hair, the soft skin, the contagious laugh, and Santana's fluttering heart gave away the mystery girl.

"Hey Demi," said Santana grinning, hugging her back perhaps a little too tight and a little too long.

"Hey San! Miss me? I know it has been such a loooooong time since you have seen me," said Demi winking.

Santana smiled even bigger if that was at all possible. "Yes, terribly. It has been such a long time, hasn't it?" The sarcasm evident in her tone as she spoke.

Demi winked again at Santana as she turned to hug and greet Quinn. "Quinnnnn! Where's your other half?"

Quinn chuckled, saying, "She will be here shortly. She has a pre-show ritual that she does so she is not to be disturbed." Santana rolled her eyes happy not to be with someone so high maintenance. Quinn playfully elbowed her.

Demi laughed. "Totally understandable. I do the same thing before any of my concerts. I guess you could say, I'm little superstitious."

Demi's laugh brought out the butterflies in Santana. Her thoughts drifted to their conversation the evening before, replaying it in her mind as she smiled and shook her head. Somehow out of the blue and totally unexpected, her life had become richer with Demi in it.

"What are you all grins about?" said Demi, softly punching Santana's arm.

Santana just kept smiling saying, "Let's just chalk it up to the fact that I'm happy. Now, is that going to be a problem?"

"Come on you big ole sap." said Quinn smirking seeing the obvious chemistry between the two women in front of her.

Santana turned, sticking out her elbows for two of her favorite gals. They both slid their arm in on either side interlocking with Santana's as they headed off 'we're off to see the wizard' style to go get ready.

* * *

The auditorium was at capacity leading up to show time. As folks began to settle into their seats, Santana peak around the curtain. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the sheer number of people in the audience. She jumped when she felt a hand on her back.

"Shit!" Santana turned around to meet eyes with the person who had just scared the crap out of her. "God damn, Quinn. Don't sneak up on me like that. You're lucky I didn't take a swing at you."

Quinn chuckled. "Whatever, San. Just relax. I was just trying to see how the crowds were."

"Huge. Fucking huge."

"Let me see."

Santana moved out of the way so Quinn could take her spot. "Holy crap, San. There _are_ a lot of people out there."

"I know. I can't believe the show sold out. It's all exciting and terrifying wrapped up into one."

"You do remember that we have Demi-Fucking-Lovato performing, right? Of course it sold out. Speaking of which you both seemed pretty chummy earlier. You have something to tell me?" said Quinn grinning mischievously.

Santana started smirking. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Quinny."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Seriously, San, are we gonna play this game? Hey, what's up with you and Angel anyway?"

"I have grounded things to a screeching halt with her. Honestly, and you tell no one of this, I couldn't handle the marathon sex sessions, especially the things she likes to do. If I was about 10 years younger with no kids – maybe, but not now, in fact, not ever."

"Never thought I would hear that the great Santana couldn't keep up in the bedroom." Quinn took out her phone and began punching in what appeared to be random numbers.

"Who are you calling?"

"Hell"

"Huh? Who are you talking about? Hobbit?"

"No San, I'm actually calling Hell to see if it has frozen over; and if I can't reach Hell, I will be calling the pigs to see if they are now flying."

"Har har hardy har har," said Santana as she crossed her arms and frowned at Quinn.

At that moment, Demi came bounding up. "Hey guys. What are you doing?"

"Just checking out the crowds. I guess this will be smaller venue than what you are used to." said Quinn to Demi.

"Actually, I enjoy the more intimate settings where you can connect more with the audience."

"Uh, I wouldn't exactly call the size of the crowd outside, 'intimate' sized." said Santana somewhat nervously.

Demi chuckled, "Yeah, I guess it's all relative."

Outside the lights flickered on and off, indicating that the show was about to start. The remaining audience members made their way into the auditorium to find their seats. Meanwhile, backstage, Quinn, Santana, Rachel, Mercedes, and Demi took their places on the stage for their opening number. They did a quick group huddle, arms around each other forming a circle. Santana gave a quick pep talk as much for herself as everyone else. "Listen, ladies, it's a packed house out there. Let's give them the show they paid for and ensure they have something to talk about tomorrow. We've got this." Everyone pulled in tighter, essentially doing a big group hug before dispersing. Adrenaline pumping, Santana and the others found their marks.

The curtain opened and on cue the music to _Wannabe_ started. Santana and team channeled their best Spice Girls impression in dress, song, and choreography. On display for all was Scary Spice a.k.a. Mercedes dressed in a black form fitting short sleeved silk top with a leopard print skirt. Coordinated cork screw curls were jutting out her head forming horns. Next up, Baby Spice a.k.a. Demi Lovato hair in pig tails wearing black platform boots with a pink baby doll dress that came mid-thigh, showing off her finely sculpted legs. Sporty Spice was none other than Quinn wearing a high ponytail along with shiny navy adidas track pants and a bright yellow low cut sports bra displaying her taut abs and toned arms. She rounded out the outfit with yellow adidas athletic shoes. Not to be outdone, Ginger Spice a.k.a. Rachel was donning her trademark Union Jack mini dress and red go-go boots. Lastly, Posh Spice a.k.a. Santana was sporting a black strapless high low dress with a bikini styled bodice that split into a very low "V" in front with a layered semi-sheer skirt that might have hit mid-thigh on a good day or a bad day depending on your point of view. The dress flowed to a rippling full length in back. Paired with this ensemble were ridiculously high strappy stiletto glittery heels accenting Santana's never ending, long, lean, sexy legs.

The audience was engaged from the first note. A mixture of laughs and applause could be heard throughout the song, the crowd showing appreciation for the authentic looks as well as the singing and dancing. As the first number ended, fans could hear the beginning of_ Say You'll Be The_re yet another Spice Girl song. This time the choreography included some of the Glee Club boys which added to an already visually stimulating number. During the song, Demi found herself stealing glances of Santana as the dress she was wearing was sexy as hell which was not lost on Demi or the area between her legs. Unbeknownst to Demi, once Santana's nerves settled, she, too, would catch glimpses during the number, unconsciously licking her lips watching Demi's fluidity and ease of motion. Demi did this as her profession and it was very obvious in her performance. She definitely knew how to work the crowd and the stage in the freestyle sections of the number. As the song ended, the crowd erupted with a standing ovation that felt like it went on for at least a minute. The next generation of Spice Girls were beaming as they bowed and waved to the audience.

Quinn and Santana each grabbed a mic and stepped forward as the curtain closed behind them.

"How is everyone tonight?" said Quinn hearing cheers from the crowd. "Excellent! Sounds like everyone is in a good mood! We are so happy that you have joined us this evening. We have had a lot of people working very hard to pull this event together." Quinn recognized the committee members and continued, "Our performers have been practicing day and night in order to put on a fantastic show for you this evening. We hope you enjoy it."

Santana took over at this point. "And if you do enjoy it, we hope that you will find it in your hearts to make a donation, buy a raffle ticket, or bid on silence auction items. The reason we do this each year is to raise money for a cause that is near and dear to each of our hearts: The Make A Wish Foundation. Everything donated or received tonight no matter how big or small goes to making children with life threatening medical issues dreams come true." Applause erupted from the audience. Once it died down, Santana continued, "We hope you leave this evening with joy in your hearts and nothing in your wallets." Laughter could be heard from the crowd. "Don't forget that we have a ton of delectable food items and the libations are flowing. Later, we will have a great DJ spinning up some tunes so everyone can get their groove going on the dance floor. With that, thanks again for coming and on with the show!" More applause from the audience as Quinn and Santana made their way off the stage.

Santana and Quinn hugged both feeling tears welling up. It was truly a labor of love to put it all together and that always left them both emotionally spent at the culmination of it.

There was a section of seats reserved so performers could catch some of the show when they were not on stage. Quinn had been sure to get a front row seat to see her amazingly, talented wife sing. Rachel had been cryptic about the song she planned to do. Quinn knew how much of a hopeless romantic her girl was so she fully expected her waterworks to be flowing freely while Rachel sang. Right before Rachel went on, a familiar face sat down next to Quinn.

"Hey Quinn, you mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all Demi. Thanks again for your help. You really saved us. It would have been tragic to have to cut those numbers."

"Anytime, Quinn. I had a ton a fun and it was totally my pleasure. So, who is up next?"

"Rachel."

"Oh boy. What's she singing?"

"Honestly, I don't know. She has been pretty tight lipped." As if on cue, the curtain opened and there was her beautiful wife seemingly radiating on the stage. The music started, and Quinn felt liquid pool in her eyes knowing with just the intro which song it was. Hearing the love of her life's angelic voice sing out sent tears streaming from Quinn's eyes as her heart grew in size. Quinn knew this song was released in the wrong century for the show's theme. She was sure Rachel had battled Santana to get it in anyway which made Quinn smile and love her that much more for it.

In a perfect world, in another time  
In a far off place, we wouldn't need to justify  
Everything we are and all that we believe  
We could finally be whoever we both want to be

Rachel searched the crowd. When she finally found her one true love, she locked eyes with her for the rest of the song. The words and the song itself had always held great meaning to Rachel and Quinn. It summarized the ups and downs of their life and the fact that no matter what the world threw at them and their family, it came back to them standing side by side taking it on together, love always triumphing in the end.

When we can't be heard, when we can't be seen  
I will call you close and you will reach for me

When all of the beauty turns to pain  
When all of the madness falls like rain  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, you and I

Through the window pane, through the bedroom door  
The city wants to fight but it can't touch us anymore  
We have come so far, we have shed our skin  
The more that's taken from us now, the more we have to give

And when we can't be heard, and when we can't be seen  
I will call you close and you will reach for me

When all of the beauty turns to pain  
When all of the madness falls like rain  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, you and I

And when we are crowded in the noise  
I'm gonna stop to find your voice  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, you and I

We'll be gorgeous, gorgeous  
We'll be gorgeous in a perfect time  
We'll be gorgeous, gorgeous

And when we lose our faith and all that's beautiful  
You lift me to this place

When all of the beauty turns to pain  
When all of the madness falls like rain  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, gorgeous

And when we are crowded in the noise  
I'm gonna stop to find your voice  
As long as we crash and we collide  
We will be gorgeous, yes, we will be gorgeous  
You and I

And when I lose my faith and don't know what to do  
You lift me to a place that makes me feel so beautiful  
As long as you're right here by my side  
We will be gorgeous, you and I

Rachel received a standing ovation for her emotional performance. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Rachel placed a kiss on her fingers and blew it over to Quinn. Quinn held up her hand, caught it and placed it on her lips.

Dabbing her eyes, Demi said, "Wow, you two really are in love, aren't you?"

"That's an understatement."

Demi thought about those words and the impact of them. Processing them, she knew she had made the right decision. "So, I broke up with Nick last night."

Quinn turned to Demi and stared at her wide eyed. "Really? What happened?"

"Honestly, I think I'm in love with someone else which was not fair to Nick."

"Let me guess. Is it perhaps a certain latina?"

Demi chuckled. "That obvious, eh? When did you know?"

"I suspected it a while ago but it was confirmed the night we went dancing."

Demi nodded. "Yeah, I probably knew then, too, but I didn't want to admit it."

"How did Nick take it?"

"He was upset, but I think it was pretty obvious I was pulling away. We were just meant to be friends, and I shouldn't have pretended otherwise."

"Well, I'm sorry. It's tough either way."

"Yeah."

"So, Santana . . . what's the plan there?"

"Well, I really don't know. Is she still dating Angel?"

"Sounds like they are on the outs."

Demi's heart skipped a beat hearing this. "Hmmm. I won't say that I'm sorry to hear that. As for a plan, I have no idea. This is all so new to me. Any ideas?"

"I think it's best that I not get involved right now. You guys have more than enough chemistry together to find your way."

Demi was a little frustrated with Quinn's response but perhaps she was right. Just then, the curtain opened for the next act. As fate would have it, Santana and the kids were up, performing Ciara's _1, 2 Step. _The number brought Demi back to the day when she first saw it. That day and the events that ensued from it had started the blonde down the path of romantic thoughts towards Santana.

Demi drooled for most of the song, mesmerized by Santana's barely there outfit and her seductive dance moves. The blonde's mind raced to having Santana's body flush against her while she was performing those same dance moves in synchronization with her. Demi shuttered as she imagined Santana's skin on her skin sending waves of heat rippling through her body coming to rest in a pool of liquid at her center. She shook herself back to reality, very aware of the fire building in her. She had to figure out a way to hint to Santana that she had these feelings. No way was she going to make the first move right now, but she needed something to happen soon or she would be an eternal wet mess.

Rachel strolled up and took the empty spot by Quinn. Quinn turned to her, cupped her hands to her face, and immediately kissed her long and passionately additional tears running down both of their cheeks. When they finally broke apart, Quinn rested her forehead on Rachel's and whispered, "Thank you. Thank God for you." Rachel smiled back at Quinn, no words coming out but the love she felt was more than communicated through her eyes and body.

* * *

During the evening the audience was treated to a variety of performances, including several from Santana and Quinn's fellow Glee Club. Artie sang a tribute to Michael Jackson, Kurt and Blaine did a Madonna medley song and dance number, and Puck and Rachel brought it down by doing an acoustic guitar version of Lady Antebellum's _Need You Now_.

The finale of the evening went off without a hitch other than in some audience members' breathing. Quinn, Santana, Mercedes, and Rachel pulled off an amazing rendition of Lady Marmalade complete with big hair, big lashes, tight corsets showing ample cleavage, garter belts, thigh high stockings, and lace up boots. Demi didn't take her eyes off Santana during the entire number feeling her heartbeat steadily quicken with each sway of her body, drinking in her outfit and how it clung to each mouthwatering curve. She could feel the sopping moisture progressively collect at her center. All thoughts and words completely left her mind other than: _Good grief, this woman is going to be the death of me._

* * *

**A/N: **Rachel's song was Idina Menzel's _Gorgeous_. All credit to Idina (yes that's Idina Menzel NOT to be confused with Adele Dazeem – ha!) for knocking the vocals out of the park when she sings it.

I apologize for the delay in this chapter. I'm racked with guilt. Chalk it up to a bad case of writer's block with how to articulate this chapter effectively as well as my "real" life getting in the way. The good news is I have worked ahead on several upcoming scenes so hopefully I will get back on track with delivering more consistently to y'all! Thank you for being patience with this new writer. I continue to be humbled by the feedback, follows, and favorites and despite not publishing for a while I'm amazed at the number of reads my story is getting. So, thank you . . . truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I promise the good stuff is approaching. We're getting close! xo

-DG0820


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Up on their feet, cheering erupted from crowd as the show came to an end. All the performers came out for one final bow, as Santana and Quinn said a few final remarks, thanks, and reminded everyone that the party was continuing in the form of a silent auction, dancing, dining, and drinking. The curtain closed as the audience made their way out of the auditorium and into the main ballroom.

Santana and Quinn once again hugged. Relief yet sadness washed over them knowing that the show was over and done with until next year. The evening had been emotionally draining but only in the best way possible. They could now relax and focus on enjoying the rest of the time with their friends who had played a big part in helping them pull it all off.

Demi waited outside the dressing room for Santana, Quinn, and Rachel to change into their party attire. Demi's eyes almost popped out of her head when Santana emerged with a very low cut sleeveless, white silky top that was much too low cut to wear a bra with. Santana's delicious cleavage and her perfectly rounded breasts were on full display at almost every angle. It was all Demi could do to restrain herself and not pounce on Santana right then and there, ripping her shirt open exposing what little there was left to see. If that wasn't enough, Santana coupled her shirt with a very, very short black pencil skirt, barely covering her tight ass. Bending over in a skirt like that would leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. Rounding out the outfit, Santana took on Amazon status with her four inch black stilettos with a small strap running across her toes as well as one around her ankle. She might as well have had a wind machine and lights around her as she walked because her true diva status was very apparent.

Santana's smile quickly turned into a smirk seeing the blonde before her. She slowly walked up to the blonde as Demi's eyes locked onto the pair of long, luscious, sexy legs coming towards her, practically drooling in the process. Placing her index and middle finger under Demi's chin, Santana leaned in very close to the blonde. Demi could feel her heart beating out of her chest, anticipating Santana's lips on hers. She closed her eyes ready to finally feel those soft, supple lips, but instead, Santana whispered into her ear, "You'd better close that mouth of yours or you're gonna catch flies," while simultaneously using her fingers to shut Demi's mouth.

Demi blushed and quickly tried to compose her flustered self to save face in front of the gorgeous latina in front her. She tried to laugh it off saying, "Well, I was just about to tell you that I thought you may have left the rest of your outfit in the dressing room." Yes, it was a lame recovery, but it was all she could muster, as her brain was barely functioning, instead, registering only on the throbbing between her legs caused from the stunning beauty before her affectionately named Santana.

Rachel and Quinn appeared shortly after Santana but did not get near the reception from Demi that Santana did. The four women headed over to the ballroom as they were all thirsty and famished. Santana and Quinn went to get drinks for everyone while the others headed to get in the buffet line.

"So, San. You may want to ask Demi about her love life." said Quinn eyeing Demi talking to Rachel.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Quinn, please explain to me why I want to hear more about that Backstreet Boy wannabe?"

"San, trust me. Just ask her."

Santana arched an eyebrow at Quinn unsure what her end game was here. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she grabbed the drinks and headed back over to buffet line, Quinn in tow close behind.

"Here you are, D." said Santana handing Demi an Arnold Palmer.

Quinn handed her bride a martini and placed a single sweet kiss on her cheek. Santana shook her head at how whipped her best friend was. Had Santana been asked in high school if she thought Quinn and Rachel would ever be an item, she would have scoffed, said one or more snarky comments, and thrown a slushie in the face of the asker.

Santana's curiosity was peaked though regarding Quinn's cryptic comment earlier, so she broached the subject. "Hey, Demi, where is Nick tonight? I would have figured that you would be on his arm for this. Is he outta town or something?"

"Uh . . . yeah . . . well . . . you see, I sorta broke up with him late last night. I just came to the realization that I didn't love him as anything more than a friend. In fact, I believe I have feelings for someone else so that isn't fair to him or me." Demi tried to drop the hint as delicately as possible to save face in the event Santana didn't reciprocate her feelings.

Santana's heart skipped a beat hearing that Demi and Nick were no longer; however, almost as quickly, it sank when she heard that the blonde liked someone else. She just couldn't catch a break, not that Demi was remotely interested in women to begin with.

The foursome made their way through the line and joined the other Glee folks at a nearby table. It was like everyone was back in high school again picking right up where they left off. All the inside jokes and the playful banter was a little lost on Demi but she did her best to roll with it and just enjoy her new friends.

Later that evening, DJ Jammin' Jasper started spinning tunes which caused the dance floor to immediately overflow. The Glee group and Demi had formed a circle and each person was taking a turn showing off his or her dance moves in the middle, drawing attention from others on the dance floor. As more and more people came over, the circle began to grow until it took over the majority of the dance floor. Everyone was having a great time doing serious or goofy moves inside the circle over the course of the song. That particular song ended with Mike Chang taking dancing to a whole new level which elicited hoots and hollers from the crowd.

Santana and Demi were parched and chose to forgo dancing the next song in favor of heading to the bar. Once they got their drinks, they found a place to sit down, people watch, and chit-chat. Demi silently gulped as she observed Santana's skirt ride even higher up her legs. It was getting dangerously close to exposing her nether regions which even the thought of this sent shockwaves to Demi's core.

Demi attempted to gain composure which was getting harder and harder to do around Santana as of late. Once she was in a semi-state of togetherness, Demi shifted her focus. Disappointment overtook her emotions - disappointment that Santana was either not interested in or completely oblivious as to what she had put out there. The blonde decided to engage in some small talk in order to get her mind of things for the moment.

"So, San, what's up with you and Angel? I haven't heard you talk about her in a while."

"We are sorta on the outs right now. She wants more than I can or am willing to give."

"What, she wants you to fall in love with her?" said Demi grinning.

Santana chuckled saying, "Santana Lopez is incapable of falling in love. It's never gonna happen. Hell would have to freeze over first."

"Wow, that's a pretty harsh outlook."

"Yeah, well, it's how I feel. Brittany pretty much ripped that ability outta me."

Seeing the conversation was headed nowhere good, Demi took the opportunity to change the subject.

"I'm sorry about that, San. Hey, listen, I love this song. Do you want to dance?"

"Uh . . . uh . . .sure." Santana kicked herself for not be smoother. Who wouldn't want to dance with Demi? She certainly would not deny a dance with the beauty. Trying to make up for her uncertainty, Santana grabbed Demi's hand and guided her to the dance floor. The women faced each other progressively getting closer and closer until finally their legs interlocked, each placing a hand on the small of each other's back. Demi was too afraid to look directly into Santana's eyes, feeling it would give away far too much especially since she had no idea if Santana had any feelings towards her at all.

Meanwhile, Santana was trying to maintain composure on her own accord and not let on how affected her insides where getting as the dancing and grinding continued. Waves of lust began to rip straight through her body building a very uncomfortable heat directly between her legs. _"Breathe, Santana. Just breathe."_ said Santana to herself as she tried to gain any sense of control.

Demi and Santana were too engaged in their dance to see a crazed redhead approaching them with the look of fire in her eyes. Santana felt a constriction around her bicep as she was yanked from Demi and spun around, facing a very angry, psychotic looking woman.

"What the fuck, Angel?" said Santana rubbing where Angel had grabbed her.

"What the fuck are you doing? You fucking this little tramp?" said Angel glaring at Demi.

"Excuse me?" said Demi seething walking towards Angel. She had wanted to punch Angel since the first night she met her and that desire was growing stronger by the minute.

Santana put her hand out and pushed the blonde behind her in an effort to protect her from the insane woman standing in front of her. Santana then roughly grabbed Angel around her bicep and lead her to a more secluded area.

Demi stood there mad as hell at what had transpired, conflicted with whether to run up to Angel and start wailing on her versus trying to collect herself and head over to talk to Quinn and Rachel. As she calmed down, she decided option two was a better plan, hoping Santana would take care of option one for her.

Santana pulled Angel into the auditorium. Everyone was in the ball room, so it was private and secluded from the rest of the party.

"You want to tell me what the fuck that was all about back there?" said Santana.

"You're fucking her aren't?"

"What? That's ridiculous, _BUT_ even if I was it's none of your damn business. Do you not recall that we are on an extended hiatus?"

"Bullshit. We break up when I say we break up."

"Oh hell no. I'm not your fucking property, you psycho bitch."

All the heated talk was turning Angel on by the second and she was at the point where she couldn't handle it anymore. A lust filled Angel, lunged at Santana attempting to lock lips with her. Santana's cat like reflexes kicked in and she threw her hands up and pushed Angel back.

"No! Fuck no, Angel! We are done, over, finished, finito! This is not happening anymore! Now get the fuck out of here and out of my life!" Santana screamed. Santana turned to go and immediately she heard a guttural shriek. The next thing Santana knew, she was on the floor with Angel on top of her pulling her hair and punching her back. Santana rolled over and pushed Angel off of her, scrambling to her feet in the process.

Angel had literally come unhinged. The look in her eye was that of someone who had snapped. She lunged again at Santana only this time, Santana clocked her. Angel crumpled to the ground unconscious. Santana straightened her clothes and smoothed down her hair before going to grab one of the security guards to take Angel out of the party for good.

Santana was a little worse for wear by the time she made it to the ballroom. As she walked up to Quinn and Rachel, Quinn said, "You look like shit, San. What happened to you?"

"Fucking Angel."

"Angel? What the hell? I thought she wasn't supposed to be here."

"Oh no, she showed her ass up and went mental. She is a complete loon."

"WTF? What happened?"

Santana filled in Quinn and Rachel with the events that just transpired.

"OMG San! Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I wanted to check on Demi. Have you seen her?"

"She left not too long ago. Said she had a headache and headed home."

Santana shook her head while muttering a barely audible, "_Fucking Angel_." It was probably for the best, however, because Santana was starting to feel things for Demi that she had no business feeling. At that point, she decided it best to try to drink her thoughts away and headed to the bar for some shots.

Quinn turned to Rachel. "You see it, right?"

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious."

"What are we going to do?"

"Hmmmm . . . I've got it! I know the perfect event. What about Ann's birthday at our house next weekend. We can play matchmaker there.

"Rachel, my love, that is genius! Safe, familiar environment for those two to figure out what half the world knows already. Operation Dantana is on . . ." Quinn and Rachel fist bumped, blew it up, and kissed.

Quinn smirked as she began to give serious thought to the wish she would be granted when Santana lost their bet.

* * *

**A/N:** Alrighty! Everyone is single and friends are working to get them together! Come on girls, see the signs already. Let's get this party started!

Any thoughts on what the wish should be? If so, PM me with ideas. Just remember, it needs to be Santana-worthy!

As always, thanks for the reviews! For those who take the time to leave feedback, it means a lot!

XO


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Angel had been blowing up Santana's cell since the day after the charity show wanting to talk and make amends. Santana pondered the so called relationship she had ended last weekend. Sure Angel was hot, but she was just a means to an end – to get Santana off and provide a needed physical release. There was no way that she would ever be anyone serious to Santana which is exactly how the Latina wanted it. However, Angel was still having a problem with the concept that Santana had broken up with her as Angel had always been the one to call it quits in every other relationship. Santana texted her back:

**S:** I'm tired of rehashing this with u. Fine, u break up with me. I don't care as long as u get it through ur thick skull that we r no longer together.

**A:** U will regret this. Once I walk out the door, I won't come back.

**S:** Somehow I will try 2 manage.

**A:** Ur a bitch. Fuck U. This is so over.

**S:** Yes I am. Thank u for "releasing" me, ur highness.

**A:** Fuck U.

That was the last text that Santana got from Angel that day. Santana was hopeful that it would be an ongoing trend.

* * *

Quinn and Rachel were busy putting the final touches on the birthday party for their friend, Ann. Quinn had met Ann at work and had taken a liking to her right away. The three of them had become fast friends over dinner and coffee outings often talking hours on end discussing a wide range of topics. Outside of conversations with Quinn and Rachel, Ann was a little on the shy side. She was beautiful girl with a great heart so Rachel and Quinn jumped at the opportunity to throw a party to celebrate the day of her birth and ideally bring her out of her shell a bit.

Earlier that week, Quinn had spoken to both Santana and Demi to invite them to the party under the guise of helping their friend Ann make some new friends. Santana rolled her eyes when talking to Quinn as she didn't give a rat's ass about being best buddies with Ann. Quinn countered with alcohol, dancing, and being able to hang out with her best friend which won Santana over.

Rachel and Quinn were pleased that their matchmaking efforts were in full force. In a few hours, they would see if they had set enough of a mood to finally get Santana and Demi together.

* * *

Demi and Santana both had busy weeks so they had to settle for just texting each other. The topic of Angel was avoided as was the obvious sexual tension between the two. Both felt safe topics were best as neither was sure of the other's feelings and texts left too much up for interpretation.

When Ann's party came up in conversation, they were happy to know that they would be seeing each other on Saturday. Demi spent the rest of the week worrying about what to wear as she fully intended to take this opportunity to make it very clear to Santana her real feelings towards her so she wanted to look her very best. She was a bundle of nerves as she played out possible scenarios in her head. Was Santana on the same page of her or was she about to make a complete fool of herself?

* * *

On the night of the party, Demi arrived prior to Santana and ended up chatting with Rachel and Quinn for a bit. Rachel had a perma-smile on her face which almost made her look psychotic. Demi assumed she was just excited for the evening as Rachel always seemed to have a flare for the dramatic interactions. When Rachel went to go check on a few items, Demi found herself alone with Quinn.

"You look exceptionally gorgeous tonight, Demi. Is there a special occasion that I'm not aware of?" said Quinn winking.

Demi laughed. "Well, perhaps. Only time will tell. Quinn, I don't know how yet, but by the end of this evening, I will be putting my heart out there for Santana."

"Well, I'm sure it will be well received. She has liked you for a while whether she admits it or not. Rachel and I think that you guys would make such a cute couple."

Demi blushed. "I hope so. I'm so nervous right now; I'm scared to eat for fear it will come right back up."

Quinn chuckled, "Well, probably a good idea that you let things settle first then. The caterer brought plenty so there is no way we are running out of food any time soon."

"I will probably inhale something after I talk to Santana," said Demi laughing.

* * *

About 30 minutes later, Santana made her appearance at the party. She went immediately to find Quinn pleasantly surprised to see her talking with Demi. To Santana, Demi looked especially stunning tonight sporting a school girl look: White v-neck shirt, short plaid skirt, a cropped ornate jeweled black jacket, and black heeled sandals. The thoughts that raced through the Latina's head would have definitely gotten her a year's worth of detention.

Composing herself, Santana said, "How are my two favorite gals?"

Demi visibly gulped as she as took in Santana for the first time this evening. She was a bombshell wearing a very simple black dress that hit mid-thigh. There was a nice cut out between her neck and breasts that showed off her more than ample cleavage. Not to mention, the shoes she was wearing were easily four inches in height which made her legs appear even longer than they already were. If Demi ever got an opportunity to explore where those legs led to, she was quite certain she would need to leave a trail of breadcrumbs in order to find her way back down.

"Great, San. So, what do you think of Demi, here? Doesn't she look amazing?" said Quinn trying to stoke the fire.

"She is definitely looking hot that's for sure!" said Santana.

Demi blushed and averted her gaze downward. "Thanks, San. You're looking pretty incredible yourself tonight."

Santana noticed the lack of eye contact and the now rosy pink cheeks on Demi's face which made the blonde even more endearing. Not wanting to further embarrass her, Santana decided to change the topic. "Hey, I'm parched. Can I grab anyone a drink at the bar?"

"I'm good, San. I'm still nursing this martini," said Quinn

"I'll take a fizzy water with lime," said Demi.

"Sure thing. Be right back."

Santana put the drink orders in and had the bartender fix her a shot of his choice for a little liquid courage. After she downed it, she headed back over to Quinn and Demi.

"Here you go, my lady." said Santana handing Demi's drink to her.

"Thanks, San."

"No one is dancing yet and I have no idea why not especially when the DJ is playing great songs. Can you guys do me a huge favor and go dance, please? Pretty please?" pleaded Quinn. "I know people will get their groove on if they see two hotties leading the charge."

Santana rolled her eyes at Quinn wanting to get her drink on more than dancing at this point; however, before she could communicate this verbally, Demi answered for both of them, as she said "Sure thing, Quinn. Come on, San." Demi put her drink down and dragged Santana out to the makeshift dance floor in Quinn and Rachel's backyard. Santana's annoyance went away quickly as the alcohol started to take effect enhancing even more the visual stimuli in front of her.

As Quinn suspected, the dance floor began to populate with the two beauties out there; although, that was not necessarily her driving motivation. Quinn smirked, pleased with herself at how the evening was proceeding.

* * *

With each passing song, the distance between Demi and Santana's bodies became smaller and smaller until finally their centers were resting on each other's thigh, grinding to the beat of the song. The neediness and roaming hands only added to the building arousal on both of their parts.

Rachel and Quinn watched approvingly from the edge of the dance floor. Quinn was ready to seal the deal and headed over to the DJ. As she spoke to him, he nodded his head acknowledging her request.

When Quinn returned, Rachel asked, "What did you ask him, babe?"

"To play something slow but sexy next. If this doesn't tip those two over the edge, I will be amazed." said Quinn smirking.

Within a minute, Kelly Rowland's _Motivation_ started playing over the speakers. Santana and Demi looked at each other nervously. It was one of those songs that more of a slow than a fast one. There were questioning glances exchanged as to whether they would leave the dance floor.

"Come on . . . come on . . . Stay . . ." mumbled Quinn to herself, staring intently at the couple, willing them to remain on the dance floor.

Demi shrugged her shoulders at Santana and gave her a look of "Why not?" She wrapped her arms around Santana's neck and glued her body to Santana's, resting her head on the Latina's shoulder. Santana grinned as she wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist, fluidly moving as one to the sensual beat of the song.

_Go, go, go, go  
Oh lover, don't you dare slow down  
Go longer, you can last more rounds  
Push harder, you're almost there now  
So go lover, make mama proud_

Demi was very familiar with the lyrics of the song. With each word, she fell further into a haze, feeling almost lust drunk. If there was ever a time to do something this was it. She seductively pulled her head back from Santana's shoulder, biting her lip in the process while raising her eyes to meet Santana's. The look that Demi was giving her went straight through the Latina. Santana could feel the beginnings of an intense throbbing between her legs as she became mesmerized with the breathtaking brown orbs staring at her. Demi was succeeding in her efforts to convey with merely her eyes what she was feeling. As the next verse of the song played, Demi licked her lips.

_And when we're done, I don't wanna feel my legs  
And when we're done, I just wanna feel your hands all over me, baby_

Not able to wait any longer, Demi slowly raised her lips to meet Santana's. On impact, she was teleported to somewhere else entirely. Her whole body was on fire, aching for Santana and Santana only. Closing her eyes, the blonde melted into those soft lips, slipping her tongue into the Latina's mouth wanting to explore the heat within as the heat in her very core grew exponentially. Their tongues danced in perfect unison together while their hands laced in each other's hair griping tufts with carnal desire.

"Yes! Winner!" said Quinn beaming high fiving Rachel. Moments later, her smile faded. "No . . . no . . . no . . . San . . . oh god . . . no . . ."

Quinn had seen Santana pushed back away from Demi looking like a deer in headlights while shaking her head back and forth as tears began to well up. Moments later, she turned and ran off towards the house.

"Go check on Demi. I'm going after San." said Quinn yelling to Rachel as she took off running after Santana. The Latina was in much better shape than Quinn, but Quinn held her own and was able to catch up with her right before Santana closed the bathroom door.

"San? Are you ok? What happened?" asked a concerned Quinn.

Santana gripped either side of the sink staring at herself in the mirror as tears streamed down her face. Quinn cautiously put her hand on Santana's shoulder and used it to turn the Latina so they were facing either other. The blonde cupped Santana's face with both her hands and began wiping her tears away with her thumbs, whispering, "San? Talk to me. What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?"

Santana blinked and shut her eyes as more tears were released. She took a deep breath trying to gain some composure before talking. "I . . . ca-can't."

"You can't what?"

"I ca-can't feel."

"What? What do you mean, San?" said Quinn confused.

Santana used both hands and wiped the remaining moisture from her face and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the tile floor. Quinn took a spot next to her and grabbed the Latina's hand in her own and squeezed it.

"Everyone, and I mean everyone since Brittany has just been a fuck. I was never vested. With Demi, it's different. That kiss . . . kissing her . . . I could feel my heart."

"Ok, San. Feeling is not a bad thing, you know."

"Quinny, I haven't felt in so long. I just don't think I can handle it. All I want to do is run in the opposite direction and fast. I don't ever want to experience again how Brittany made me feel at the end . . ." Santana's voice cracked and trailed off saying the last few words. She and Quinn sat silently for a moment, Quinn rubbing her thumb on the top of Santana's hand waiting to see if Santana would continue. Santana's voice quivered as she said, "Q, my heart was ripped from my chest and torn into little pieces." Santana inhaled deeply trying to fight back the tears that wanted so desperately to come out.

"San, Demi is not Brittany. From what I can see, she genuinely cares about you and vice versa. You don't have to give her your heart right away, only a chance, a chance to see where this can go. San, you never know, she could be the one that puts all those pieces back together and makes you whole again. Isn't that worth the risk?"

Santana's waterworks started up again. Barely audible she said, "I'm not sure . . ." With that she got up. "Quinn, I need to get out of here. I need to clear my head."

"Ok. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I just need to some time to myself."

"Are you sure you're ok to drive?"

"I'm fine. The alcohol is more than out of my system. This was all very sobering."

"What about mentally?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Really . . ."

Quinn reluctantly agreed to let her go knowing once Santana made up her mind about something, it would take an act of God to change it. She pulled the Latina in for a long hug and told her to call her later if she wanted to talk.

Santana grabbed her car keys and headed out.

* * *

"Demi?" said Rachel as she went up to the stunned blonde on the dance floor. After getting no response, she touched Demi's shoulder. "Demi . . . . . . Demi . . . . . . Are you okay?"

Demi was trying to rehash what just happened. One minute she was sharing the most intense kiss of her life, and the next she was trying to figure out what she did to chase away the woman that she cared for deeply. She turned around and gave Rachel one of the most pathetic lost puppy dogs looks.

"Hey, Demi. Come with me." Rachel guided Demi to one of the outdoor tables and sat her down. "Have you eaten because I can put together a plate for you?"

"I'm not hungry" said Demi sadly.

Rachel was at a loss for words which rarely happened. She rubbed Demi's back as she waited for Quinn to return with hopefully some good news.

* * *

Quinn finally tracked down Rachel and Demi. She grabbed a seat in the open chair next to Demi. "You okay, Demi?"

Demi shook her head as she felt the tears build.

"Hey . . . Hey, Demi. It's gonna be okay. I promise." said Quinn as she handed a tissue to Demi. Demi dabbed her eyes as Quinn continued. "Look, Demi, Santana likes you and I mean REALLY likes you. The biggest problem is that she has to get her out of her own head, so she can let her guard down. Brittany hurt her badly. I had never seen her so depressed after that relationship ended; and frankly, she hasn't been the same since. You're the only person to come along that appears to have been able to chink that armor she has built around her heart. At the end of the day, Santana is terrified of being hurt again or of letting someone in; _BUT_, she's so worth it if you are willing to stick around and be patient with her."

* * *

Santana was just driving around L. a daze with no real destination in mind. She found herself on a road leading to a view of the Hollywood sign. Tired of driving, she parked and looked out at the scenery before her. The sheer beauty of the lit up Hollywood sign and the lights of the city below made Santana take a moment to appreciate where she lived. It made her feel tiny and insignificant but not necessarily in a bad way, more of a happy to be part of something so much larger than herself way. She leaned her head back on the seat and turned up the radio catching the end of a familiar song.

_. . . Now all that I need is all I see in you  
And only you  
And if you get lost I'll always find you  
You're all that I need your heart will keep you true  
My only you_

You make me fall and I can't sleep  
You want it all but it's too deep

As fate would have it, at that very instance, Santana's phone lit up with Demi's face. Santana picked it up and stared at gorgeous girl for a moment before sending the call to voicemail, returning her focus to the song playing.

_And I can't give it away  
I just can't give it away_

Santana cupped her hands over her face taking in the reality of those words as she shook her head.

_When you slowly close your eyes  
We play the moment in your life  
Just give it away  
Just give it away  
When you slowly close your eyes  
We play the moment in your life  
Just give it away  
Just give it away_

Why couldn't she give her heart away? Why did it have to be so hard? She could answer that in one word . . . Brittany.

_Don't ever forget to tell somebody  
The feelings inside to make your dreams come true  
I dream of you  
To feel so alive and want somebody  
It's not make believe my world would be for you  
And only you_

You make me fall and I can't sleep  
You want it all but it's too deep  
And I can't give it away  
I just can't give it away

When you slowly close your eyes  
We play the moment in your life  
Breathe in and give it away  
Breathe out and give it away  
When you slowly close your eyes  
We play the moment in your life  
Breathe in and give it away  
Breathe out and give it away

Why was it that when everything was less than perfect in life, songs on the radio only seemed to amplify that fact? Santana closed her eyes and rested her head on the steering wheel as she tried to detangle the mess of thoughts swirling around in her head.

* * *

**A/N:** One step forward . . . two back . . . the good news is Demi has a little something in her back pocket to win Santana over. We're close . . . so close.

Credit to Kelly Rowland (ft Lil Wayne) for her song _Motivation_ and Deepest Blue for _Give It Away_ both great ones.

On a side note, Quinn is gonna win the bet (duh!). PM me with ideas as to some creative ideas for what the wish could be!

Thanks much for the feedback, favorites, and follows! It truly makes me giddy. :-)

XO


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

There was a pounding on the Lopez residence door. Jordan went over to answer it, looking through the peephole first. Seeing who it was, she opened the door.

"Hey Quinn. What's up?"

"Hey Jordan. Where is Santana?" said Quinn somewhat agitated.

"She's still in bed."

"It's 2pm."

"Right, but I think it was a late night for her though."

"Yeah? Well, she's about to get her ass up." Quinn cringed slightly hoping the kids weren't within earshot. Looking around she was relieved not to see them.

"Don't worry, they are engrossed in a TV show." said Jordan smiling.

"Thanks, Jordan," with relief apparent in her voice; however, that was short lived as she made her way back to Santana's bedroom. She knocked and heard some muffled sounds coming from the room. She waited to hear some movement, but when she did not, she knocked again, trying the doorknob only to find it locked.

"Go away."

"San, open up."

"No. Go away, Quinn."

Quinn eyes narrowed, now on a mission; she felt around the door frame and found what she was looking for. She put the key in the lock and opened the door into Santana's room and made a beeline for the curtains, immediately throwing them open so the room lit up like night time in Vegas. You would have thought Santana was going to turn to dust the way she threw up her arms to shield herself.

"Fuck, Quinn. I told you to go away. Close the god damn curtains and get the fuck out." Santana pulled the covers over her head, obviously frustrated and grumpy.

"I will not. It's 2 'o'clock, San, which is waaaaay past time for you to be facing this day," said Quinn as she ripped the covers off the bed exposing Santana. "You have not returned my texts or voicemails so you and I _ARE_ having a conversation. We can either do it here or go out, but we will be talking. I'll let you choose the location."

Santana groaned as she blindly felt around for any type of cover left on the bed. Finding none, she gave up knowing it was pointless to resist. When Quinn was this focused, she was going to have her way no matter what. "Fine! Whatever, Quinn. You're buying."

"Deal. Now get dressed. You have 5 minutes and not a minute more."

Santana huffed as she made her way out of bed. "Sometimes I really hate you, Quinn. You know that?"

"Don't even start with me. This is on you, San. You are the one who chose not to communicate so don't even try to blame me."

Santana just rolled her eyes in response dragging her ass into the bathroom to get ready.

"4 minutes . . ."

* * *

Quinn and Santana arrived at Urban Java. Quinn got coffees and a variety of items to nibble on while Santana picked out the most secluded available booth. Quinn handed Santana her coffee and took a seat, putting the food in between them. Santana eyed the selection and chose a piece of banana bread.

"So, did you clear your head last night, San?" said Quinn searching Santana's face for any kind of tell.

Santana stared at her banana bread, picking at it only as she had suddenly lost her appetite. "Sorta" said Santana half-heartedly.

"Ok. Tell me what 'sorta' means."

"Quinny . . . look . . ." started Santana hesitantly. I know I really like Demi. I know that. _BUT_ . . . I'm not sure I have the capacity to love someone. I think Brittany broke my ability for that."

"San, listen, what Brittany did to you and the kids was horrible, but you have got to move on for your sake and the kids' sake. They want you to be happy. Rachel, myself, and the rest of your friends want you to be happy, too. Demi is not and will never be Brittany. From what I can tell, she has already had her dark period in her life; she's a survivor and stronger because of it. I think she can help you with your struggles because although she has not been through your exact situation, she has been through darkness and has emerged out on the other side. She may be just the person you need to help you get over yours. I know you like her and that is a scary thing for you, but as your friend, I think you need to give this relationship a shot. You don't have to give her your heart just yet, San. Just give her a chance to prove that she is worthy of it."

Santana let Quinn's words resonate. She had nailed it. The Latina was scared shitless. Giving her heart to someone meant that she could get hurt again, but what if? What if Demi was _THE_ person who could not only mend her heart but someone who could also nurture it and make it grow even bigger? Was the risk worth the reward? So many questions swirled around in Santana's mind. It made her head hurt.

"You gonna eat that, San, or continue to pick at it?"

Santana looked up at her best friend as she put a piece of banana bread in her mouth. She mechanically ate the rest of it, knowing her body needed some form of nourishment even if she wasn't really hungry. Depriving herself of food would only put others in danger later.

"Quinn, I know you're right but I'm so guarded and have been for so long, it's second nature to me. I wouldn't even know how to go about letting her in."

"Let her chip away at that wall. I think she is willing to do what it takes to be with you. If you need to take things slower, just tell her."

"Yeah . . . you're probably right . . ." said Santana playing with the edge of her napkin.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Santana rolled her eyes knowing full well what Quinn was after. "Yes, Quinn, supreme goddess of the world, YOU . . . are . . . right. Bask in the glory of it for now as you won't hear that phrase again anytime soon."

Quinn smirked with satisfaction. How she loved hearing those words, especially from Santana.

* * *

Demi had tried to contact Santana a few times since the incident at the birthday party the night before, but had received radio silence. Feeling discouraged, she reached out for advice from Quinn and Rachel who ended up inviting her over for dinner that evening. To pass the time, she poured her thoughts and feelings into her writing hoping it would help her to process things. She often found it therapeutic in good or bad times and some of her best lyrics came about because of it.

* * *

Demi arrived at Quinn and Rachel's house and was greeted with warm smiles and sympathetic hugs causing her to tear up. Demi's emotions began to overtake her as so many scenarios and thoughts repeatedly ran through her mind, creating an impasse as she continued to second guess herself and the situation. She was at a complete loss as to what to do since Santana was not returning her texts or voicemails.

Rachel handed Demi a tissue wrapping her arm around her waist as she led her into the kitchen. Demi took a seat at one of the bar stools taking in the wonderful smells coming from the food being prepared before her as Quinn and Rachel worked together to put the final touches on dinner. Demi's stomach grumbled reminding her that she really hadn't eaten much today or yesterday for that matter. Not only was she in need of physical sustenance, but she needed mental sustenance even more in the form of sage counsel from Quinn and Rachel to quell her hunger for a path forward that hopefully included Santana.

"Can I help with anything?" asked Demi, noticeably somber.

"Nah, honey, we're almost done. You just sit there and relax. I know this is a loaded question, Demi, but how are you doing?" said Rachel, looking at her compassionately.

Tears immediately began streaming down Demi's face. She rested her elbows on the counter and covered her face in her hands as she tried to gain some composure. Rachel instantly stopped what she was doing and went around to Demi, taking her in her arms repeatedly saying, "Shhhh, it's ok," while rubbing her back and stroking her hair. Demi just cried into Rachel's shoulder desperately needing this release and purging of all her bottled up emotions. Quinn and Rachel made eye contact with one another and shared sorrowful looks.

Quinn finished plating the food and placed it on the table. Rachel lifted Demi's face up so she could see her eyes. "Demi, we are here for you. Come sit down and let's get some food in you while we sort all of this out."

"Thanks . . ." Demi mumbled as she made her way to the dinner table. Wanting to stay on a safer topic at the moment, she changed the subject and asked, "Where are your kids tonight?"

"Oh, Beth and Connor are at a birthday slumber party at one of our neighbor's house. We'll see if they make it the whole evening without wanting to come home," Quinn chuckled.

Demi smiled meekly as she played with her food.

"You know, it's supposed to go in your mouth, not just be repositioned your the plate," said Quinn sarcastically.

Demi smiled almost letting out a laugh as she tried her first bite. As the morsel of goodness hit her stomach, a message was immediately sent to her brain requesting more and fast. She scarfed down everything remaining on her plate posthaste.

Quinn and Rachel grinned watching Demi almost attacking her food, making sure not a crumb remained. "Honey, there is plenty more. I suspect based on what we just witnessed you haven't eaten since yesterday. Get some more. We'll get that stomach of yours full then we will discuss the issue at hand. For our final course, I bought a gallon of Cookie Dough ice cream. It will be us, that gallon tub, and three spoons. Let me assure you_that_ dessert can absolutely fix anything!" said Rachel winking at Demi.

Demi smiled appreciatively at Rachel as she got up for seconds. "You have no idea how much I needed this. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"That's what friends do, Demi." said Rachel.

Friends. She liked hearing that word to describe their relationship. She hadn't known either of them very long, but she had felt an instant connection and familiarity with them the moment they met, like she had known them forever. She loved them both dearly despite Rachel's sometimes over the top antics.

"Well, I really appreciate it. Thank you both." said Demi.

After dinner and over ice cream, Demi poured her heart out to the two women purging all of her thoughts and fears around the topic of Santana. Quinn, knowing San best, offered most of the advice to Demi. The three of them devised a plan that Quinn thought would be foolproof in getting Santana back on the same page as Demi. Now it was just about execution.

Demi left that evening feeling renewed and re-energized. She took a moment before getting in her car to just breathe in the positivity of the universe and let her mind drift to the scenario it had settle on. She vividly saw it unfold, resulting in a giant grin appearing on her face. She had a new determination to make it a reality no matter what.


End file.
